The Nuanced Understanding of the AI 'Race' between China and the US

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This chapter delves into the complexities of the AI competition between China and the US, highlighting China's academic publication dominance but limited diffusion capacity, its lead in computer vision but challenges in language models, and the role of the US's progress as a 'fast second mover'. The episode ends with appreciation for the podcast production team and the listeners.

In the debate over slowing down AI, we often hear the same argument against regulation. “What about China? We can’t let China get ahead.” To dig into the nuances of this argument, Tristan and Aza speak with academic researcher Jeffrey Ding and journalist Karen Hao, who take us through what’s really happening in Chinese AI development. They address China’s advantages and limitations, what risks are overblown, and what, in this multi-national competition, is at stake as we imagine the best possible future for everyone.

CORRECTION: Jeffrey Ding says the export controls on advanced chips that were established in October 2022 only apply to military end-users. The controls also impose a license requirement on the export of those advanced chips to any China-based end-user.

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