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Japan Today
31-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
China bids to lap U.S. in AI leadership
Beijing aims to become the world's leading AI 'innovation centre' by 2030 By Rebecca BAILEY Beyond dancing robots and eager-to-help digital avatars, Shanghai's World AI Conference saw China stake its claim to global artificial intelligence leadership and frame itself as a clear alternative to the United States. Assumptions that the U.S. was far ahead in the fast-moving field were upended this year when Chinese start-up DeepSeek unveiled a chatbot that matched top American systems for an apparent fraction of the cost. With AI now at the forefront of the superpowers' tech race, the World AI Conference (WAIC) that ended Tuesday saw China set out its case to take charge on shaping its global governance too. China, the United States and other major economies are "engaged in a marathon at Formula One speed", said Steven Hai, assistant professor of tech innovation at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. "Which country will attain the upper hand can only be assessed dynamically over the course of development." China and the United States dominate the AI sector -- only 10 to 15 percent of models developed in recent years were built without either's participation, according to Epoch AI, a non-profit research institute. While U.S. companies like Google and OpenAI are still industry-leading, the institute labelled 78 percent of Chinese models "state-of-the-art" compared to 70 percent of models built with American participation. Beijing's stated aim is to become the world's leading AI "innovation centre" by 2030. "Now China is neck-and-neck with the United States in terms of core tech, that play (for global leadership) is more relevant than ever," said Tom Nunlist, associate director for tech and data policy at Trivium China. "With a solid AI offering and the U.S. turning inward, the question is will Beijing's vision gain greater global traction?" In May, Microsoft's Brad Smith told the U.S. Senate that "the number-one factor" in the tech race "is whose technology is most broadly adopted in the rest of the world". China's offer is technical and economical. "One of the biggest differences (with the U.S. sector) is that most of the leading models in China... are open-weight and open-source," former Google CEO Eric Schmidt told an audience at WAIC. That means they can be adapted by other countries to fit their own needs, said George Chen, partner at Washington-based policy consultancy The Asia Group. "We already see some countries like Mongolia, Kazakhstan, even Pakistan are trying to adopt the DeepSeek model to build their own," he said. "China has a chance to win in the aspect of sovereign AI to export its model to those countries." The comparative low cost of Chinese technology -- software but also hardware, for example through firms like Huawei -- will be a big factor, especially for developing countries, Chen added. On Monday another Chinese start-up, Zhipu, announced its new AI model -- also open-source -- would cost less than DeepSeek to use. In June, OpenAI accused Zhipu of having close ties with Chinese authorities and noted it was working with governments and state-owned firms across Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Africa. "The goal is to lock Chinese systems and standards into emerging markets before U.S. or European rivals can," it said. Washington has moved to protect its lead in AI, expanding efforts to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China in recent years. "While limiting China's share of the global AI hardware market, (these measures) have accelerated indigenous innovation and led Chinese firms to exploit regulatory loopholes," said assistant professor Hai, referring to "rife" smuggling and circumvention. Issues of trust? Other challenges to homegrown firms include the closed nature of the Chinese internet, and "general issues of trust when it comes to using Chinese tech", Trivium's Nunlist said. At WAIC, China sought to present itself as a responsible power. Premier Li Qiang emphasised the risks of AI and pledged to share technology with other nations, especially developing ones. His remarks contrasted sharply with U.S. President Donald Trump's aggressive low-regulation "AI Action Plan" launched just days before and explicitly aimed at cementing U.S. dominance in the field. China released its own action plan at WAIC, following a meeting attended by delegates from dozens of countries. Li also announced the establishment of a China-led organization for international AI cooperation. However, China's foreign ministry did not respond to a request from AFP for details on the set-up of the organization -- including any international participants -- and several foreign delegates said they had not been briefed on the announcement beforehand. Analyst Grace Shao wrote it was clear AI was still in its "infancy stage". "You can sense that vibrant energy but also the immaturity of the space," she wrote on Substack. "There just shouldn't be a definitive conclusion on who is 'winning' yet." © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
28-07-2025
- Business
- Japan Today
Humanoid robots embodiment of China's AI ambitions
People watch humanoid robots boxing at an exhibition during the World AI Conference in Shanghai By Rebecca BAILEY Serving craft beer, playing mahjong, stacking shelves and boxing, the dozens of humanoid robots at Shanghai's World AI Conference (WAIC) this weekend were embodiments of China's growing AI prowess and ambition. The annual event is primed at showcasing China's progress in the ever-evolving field of artificial intelligence, with the government aiming to position the country as a world leader on both technology and regulation as it snaps at the United States' heels. Opening the event on Saturday, Premier Li Qiang announced China would set up a new organization for cooperation on AI governance, warning the benefits of development must be balanced with the risks. But in the cavernous expo next door, the mood was more giddy than concerned. "Demand is currently very strong, whether in terms of data, scenarios, model training, or artificial construction. The overall atmosphere in all these areas is very lively," said Yang Yifan, R&D director at Transwarp, a Shanghai-based AI platform provider. This year's WAIC is the first since a breakthrough moment for Chinese AI this January when startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems for an apparent fraction of the cost. Organisers said the forum involved more than 800 companies, showcasing over 3,000 products -- the undeniable crowd pleasers being the humanoid robots and their raft of slightly surreal party tricks. At one booth, a robot played drums, half a beat out of time, to Queen's "We Will Rock You" while a man in safety goggles and a security vest hyped up a giggling crowd. Other droids, some dressed in working overalls or baseball caps, manned assembly lines, played curling with human opponents or sloppily served soft drinks from a dispenser. While most of the machines on display were still a little jerky, the increasing sophistication year-on-year was clear to see. The Chinese government has poured support into robotics, an area in which some experts think China might already have the upper hand over the United States. At Hangzhou-based Unitree's stall, its G1 android -- around 130 centimeters tall, with a two-hour battery life -- kicked, pivoted and punched, keeping its balance with relative fluidity as it shadowboxed around a ring. Ahead of the conference's opening, Unitree announced it would launch a full-size humanoid, the R1, for under $6,000. Most high-tech helpers don't need hardware though. At the expo, AI companions -- in the form of middle-aged businessmen, scantily clad women and ancient warriors -- waved at people from screens, asking how their day was, while other stalls ran demos allowing visitors to create their own digital avatars. Tech giant Baidu on Saturday announced a new generation of technology for its "digital humans" -- AI agents modelled on real people, which it says are "capable of thinking, making decisions, and collaborating". The company recently ran a six-hour e-commerce broadcast hosted by the "digital human" of a well-known streamer and another avatar. The two agents beat the human streamer's debut sales in some categories, Baidu said. Over ten thousand businesses are using the technology already, the department's head Wu Chenxia told AFP. Asked about the impact on jobs -- one of the major concerns raised around widespread AI adoption -- Wu insisted that AI was a tool that should be used to improve quality and save time and effort, which still required human input. For now, few visitors to the WAIC expo seemed worried about the potential ramifications of the back-flipping dog robots they were excitedly watching. "When it comes to China's AI development, we have a comparatively good foundation of data and also a wealth of application scenarios," said Transwarp's Yang. "There are many more opportunities for experimentation." © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Today
Smart driving new front in China car wars despite fatal crash
A fatal accident involving a Xiaomi SU7 raised concerns over safety and the advertising of cars as being capable of 'autonomous driving' By Rebecca BAILEY and Taimaz SZIRNIKS Intelligent driving features are the new battleground in China's merciless car market, with competition spurring brands to world-leading advances -- but a recent fatal crash has seen the government intervene to put the brakes on runaway enthusiasm. Advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) help with tasks ranging from cruise control to parking and collision avoidance, with the ultimate aim being a fully self-driving car. Automakers are pouring investment into their development, especially in the world's biggest car market China, which skews young and tech-savvy. "Ten years ago, only 15 percent of customers said they would change car because of an intelligent cockpit -- today it's 54 percent," Giovanni Lanfranchi of EV firm Zeekr said. Almost 60 percent of cars sold in China last year had level-two ADAS features -- where the driver is still in control but there is continuous assistance -- or above, according to an AlixPartners report released last week. The features "are emerging as a key competitive tool", said the consultancy's Yvette Zhang. Some firms use their own proprietary technology, like start-up Xpeng and consumer electronics-turned-car company Xiaomi, while others are cooperating with tech giants such as Huawei. Such software is being developed in Europe and North America too. But in a survey of hundreds of global auto executives surveyed by AlixPartners, two-thirds said they believed China led the world in the field. "The collection and processing of data, and the availability of software and machine-learning talent" is difficult to replicate, the report said. The technology is not immune from the price wars that are a key feature of the Chinese market. In February, domestic EV giant BYD announced it would release its "God's Eye" driving system on nearly all its cars, including on some models priced below $10,000. Then came a fatal accident in March involving a Xiaomi SU7 that had been in assisted driving mode just before it crashed. The accident, in which three college students died, raised concerns over safety and the advertising of cars as being capable of "autonomous driving". The issue is an industry-wide one -- Tesla's U.S.-released "Full Self-Driving" capability, for example, is still meant to be used under driver supervision. "The price war has just been so brutal, companies are desperate to find any way to set themselves apart," said Tom Nunlist, associate director for tech and data policy at Trivium China. "So the question is have they been over-promising on features and releasing things as quickly as possible, for the purposes of fighting this commercial battle." China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology seems to share those concerns. After the crash, it held a meeting with leading automakers and other key players in which it made clear that safety rules would be more tightly enforced. It warned automakers to test systems rigorously, "define system functional boundaries... and refrain from exaggerated or false advertising". Reports said it will also crack down on the practice of improving ADAS via remote software updates. As the massive industry show Auto Shanghai kicked off last week, the shift in gear was obvious. "In a sharp U-turn from just two months ago, carmakers have taken a low profile in terms of autonomous driving functions, but are emphasizing safety instead," said UBS' Paul Gong in a note. "Safety is the ultimate premium of new energy vehicles," a sign at BYD's booth read. At the bustling Xiaomi booth, information boards touted the SU7's color choices, chassis and hardware -- but AFP saw no mention of ADAS at all. "The autonomous driving function marketing race seems to have halted, at least temporarily," wrote Gong. Zhang Yu, managing director of Shanghai-based consultancy Automotive Foresight, told AFP that he thought the crash was "only a setback in marketing terms, which is helpful for a healthy development" of the area. "This accident was not related to tech or the system itself, it more concerns the ignorance of ADAS and boundary of autonomous driving," he added. The technology itself continues to progress. "That's why this is becoming a pressing issue because car companies are going to be wanting to release these features," Trivium's Nunlist said. However, a truly autonomous car -- level five on the scale -- is "certainly not imminent", he added, predicting "very hard last-mile problems". © 2025 AFP
