AI Super-powers

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.