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China may be spending far less on AI research than previously thought, US think tank says
- The Chinese government is probably not dramatically outspending the US government on AI research and development, a recent report suggests
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When China laid out plans to become the global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030, the world took notice. While Beijing itself has never given a clear figure on the scope of its total AI investment, many assumed that the world’s second-largest economy would back its national AI plan with the necessary resources.
In 2017, the year China published its “Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan”, the country accounted for 48 per cent of total equity funding for AI start-ups compared to 38 per cent funded by the US and 13 per cent by the rest of the world.
Yet, recent estimates by a US think tank suggest that reports of China’s expenditure on AI may be overblown, and that it has probably not been dramatically outspending the US government on AI research and development (R&D) since it unveiled the national plan.
Researchers at the Centre for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET), a think tank of Washington-based Georgetown University, assessed in an issue brief this month that China's public investment in AI R&D was in the order of a few billion US dollars in 2018, similar to the US’ planned spending for financial year 2020, and not the tens of billions previously suggested in some quarters.
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