COVID gave China an edge in A.I. battle against the U.S. | Fortune

“The U.S. and China are battling for global supremacy in artificial intelligence. Amid the pandemic, China may have taken the lead.
“Data is what drives A.I., and China has more data than anyone else,” Kai-Fu Lee, CEO of Chinese venture capital firm Sinovation ­Ventures and author of AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order, said at the Fortune Global Forum on Tuesday.”

Read the full article @ Fortune (paywall):

Internal Chinese report warns Beijing faces Tiananmen-like global backlash over virus | Reuters

“The report, presented early last month by the Ministry of State Security to top Beijing leaders including President Xi Jinping, concluded that global anti-China sentiment is at its highest since the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, the sources said.

As a result, Beijing faces a wave of anti-China sentiment led by the United States in the aftermath of the pandemic and needs to be prepared in a worst-case scenario for armed confrontation between the two global powers, according to people familiar with the report’s content, who declined to be identified given the sensitivity of the matter.

The report was drawn up by the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), a think tank affiliated with the Ministry of State Security, China’s top intelligence body.”

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Chinese envoy takes veiled swipe at Trump for politicizing coronavirus | Reuters

“China’s ambassador to the United States took a thinly veiled swipe at U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday by criticizing politicians bent on making “groundless accusations” that distract from scientific information on the deadly coronavirus.”

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China may forge ahead of the US in AI chip race, but at what cost to both? | SCMP

“With decoupling in trade and technology proceeding apace, China’s focus on this critical component of its hi-tech development reflects a desire to be self-sufficient. But technology warfare based on techno-nationalism benefits no one in the end.”

Read the full article @ South China Morning Post:

Outpacing US, China to gain AI supremacy by 2022, says report | Analytics Insight

“According to a recent report released by the Chinese Institute of Electronics, the AI industry of China is expected to reach US$ 20 billion by 2022. As comprehended by the White Paper on New Generation of Artificial Intelligence Industry, China’s new generation AI industry is growing steadily, and diversified applications are leading the technology into a rapid growth period.”

Read the full article @ Analytics Insight:

First indications: will Mammut be sold to China? | Aargauer Zeitung

The conzzeta conglomerate wants to sell the traditional Mammut brand. Most likely abroad – maybe to China. There are signs that indicate this.

@ Aargauer Zeitung | December 9, 2019

Commission warns AI could help China surpass U.S. military | National Defense Magazine

“A commission established by Congress to regularly review the national security implications of the U.S.-China relationship is warning that Chinese leaders’ prioritization of artificial intelligence technology could provide them with military advantages in a potential conflict with the United States.”

Read the full article @ National Defense Magazine:

First indications: will Mammut be sold to China? | Aargauer Zeitung

The Conzzeta conglomerate wants to sell the traditional Mammut brand. Most likely abroad – maybe to China. There are signs that indicate this.

@ Aargauer Zeitung | December 9, 2019

The unanswered questions in America’s AI strategy | Axios

“Three years since the White House first publicly considered the U.S. government’s role as a shepherd of artificial intelligence research, pivotal unanswered questions are still holding back a coherent strategy for boosting the critical technology at home.

Why it matters: China’s authoritarian system, largely untroubled by deliberative holdups, has been pouring money into its AI sector.

The big questions around U.S. AI policy largely revolve around competition with adversaries — which for now, yes, mostly means China: […]”

Read the full article @ Axios:

Understanding China’s AI strategy: Clues to Chinese strategic thinking on Artificial Intelligence and national security | CNAS

“In the second half of 2018, I traveled to China on four separate trips to attend major diplomatic, military, and private-sector conferences focusing on Artificial Intelligence (AI). During these trips, I participated in a series of meetings with high-ranking Chinese officials in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, leaders of China’s military AI research organizations, government think tank experts, and corporate executives at Chinese AI companies. From these discussions – as well as my ongoing work analyzing China’s AI industry, policies, reports, and programs – I have arrived at a number of key judgments about Chinese leadership’s views, strategies, and prospects for AI as it applies to China’s economy and national security. Of course, China’s leadership in this area is a large population with diversity in its views, and any effort to generalize is inherently presumptuous and essentially guaranteed to oversimplify. However, the distance is large between prevailing views in American commentary on China’s AI efforts and what I have come to believe are the facts. I hope by stating my takeaways directly, this report will advance the assessment of this issue and be of benefit to the wider U.S. policymaking community.” – Gregory C. Allen

Read the full report @ Center for a New American Security:

Download the full White Paper [PDF, 1.3 MB]