AI Super-powers
Read in 23 min.
Listen in 29 min.
Learn the key ideas of the book by Kai-Fu Lee

AI Super-powers

Artificial intelligence and the world economic superpowers

Kai-fu Lee is an entrepreneur and computer scientist, specialised in artificial intelligence. Over the years, he has accumulated considerable experience, working with some of the most important companies in the world, such as Google, Microsoft, and Apple, before founding his venture capital, Sinovation Ventures. In his book, AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, he outlines the various aspects of research in artificial intelligence, and describes the current situation in the American and Chinese markets (the two main players in the global "challenge" currently underway), as well as outlining some predictions for how companies, startups, revolutionary inventions, and jobs will change in the future. From WeChat to self-driving cars, from Alibaba to applications for deep learning, from Steve Jobs to Jack Ma, he covers all of the areas and main characters of artificial intelligence, including the utopian, dystopian, and techno-optimistic scenarios that await us in the years to come.

AI Super-powers
Read in 23 min.
Listen in 29 min.
IDEA CHIAVE 1/11

China is about to become the leader in artificial intelligence research

We are the ones building the future of artificial intelligence, and therefore, it will reflect the choices and steps we take along the way. AI is already on the rise: just think of the gaming software developed by Google, Alphago, which has proved itself capable of winning extremely complex Go matches, a game in which two players take turns placing stones on the playing board, and try to surround each other’s pieces. The program's winning streak has demonstrated the triumph of machines over man, as well as that of Western technology over the rest of the world, and beyond: such victories have also profoundly influenced China, representing both a challenge and a source of inspiration, and triggering the creation of an atmosphere similar to that between Russia and the United States during the space race, becoming what can be defined as “China’s Sputnik moment”. 

When investors, entrepreneurs, and the Chinese government decide to focus on a specific sector, they have the power to create enormous change: right now, China is increasing investment in AI research, and it is not just capitalists that are providing funds, but also the Chinese government itself.

It is believed that China could become the centre of global innovation in artificial intelligence by 2030, excelling in terms of theory, technology, and its practical application: as of 2017, Chinese investors already accounted for 48% of the total world investment in artificial intelligence, surpassing the United States.

  

The key ideas of "AI Super-powers"

01.
China is about to become the leader in artificial intelligence research
02.
Deep learning and machine learning are driven by data, and China has a lot of data
03.
The development of artificial intelligence requires data, scientists, entrepreneurs, and funds
04.
The peculiarities of the Chinese market: from a market-driven approach, to the successes of Jack Ma and Alibaba
05.
Chinese goals: lean startups, the “heavy” approach, the sharing economy, and the Internet-of-Things
06.
Big inventions, small inventions: everything contributes to advancements in artificial intelligence
07.
The four waves of artificial intelligence: internet, business, perception, and automation
08.
Future perspectives on artificial intelligence: progress in China, and the unemployment problem
09.
The New World Order: from irreplaceable jobs, to the importance of the human touch
10.
Quotes
11.
Take-home message
 
 
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