China advances practical A.I. strategy as US pursues superintelligence
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 9
China advances practical A.I. strategy as US pursues superintelligence
13 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 9
The approach, described as "A.I.+", uses subsidies, national computing programmes and tight regulation to spread cheap A.I. across public services and daily life in cities including Shanghai and Hangzhou.
Examples include facial-recognition school photo alerts, ticketless train travel, self-driving taxis, "smile to pay" terminals and Hangzhou's City Brain for traffic and environmental management.
The article argues the rivals are racing in different directions: Washington backs fast-moving private development, while Beijing treats A.I. as infrastructure, a contrast that could shape their wider geopolitical competition.
China is deploying AI in factories and courts. Is the US pursuit of superintelligence ignoring real-world benefits?
As China builds its own AI chips, are US export controls creating a more powerful, independent competitor?
Can the Trump-Xi summit prevent the global AI race from escalating into a technological cold war?