ChinAI Newsletter
Jeffrey Ding
Narrations of the ChinAI Newsletter by Jeffrey Ding.
China is becoming an indispensable part of the global AI landscape. Alongside the rise of China’s AI capabilities, a surge of Chinese writing and scholarship on AI-related topics is shedding light on a range of fascinating topics, including: China’s grand strategy for advanced technology like AI, the characteristics of key Chinese AI actors (e.g. companies and individual thinkers), and the ethical implications of AI development.
While traditional media and China specialists can provide important insights on these questions through on-the-ground reporting and extensive background knowledge, ChinAI takes a different approach: it bets on the proposition that for many of these issues, the people with the most knowledge and insight are Chinese people themselves who are sharing their insights in Chinese. Through translating articles and documents from government departments, think tanks, traditional media, and newer forms of “self-media,” etc., ChinAI provides a unique look into the intersection between a country that is changing the world and a technology that is doing the same.
China is becoming an indispensable part of the global AI landscape. Alongside the rise of China’s AI capabilities, a surge of Chinese writing and scholarship on AI-related topics is shedding light on a range of fascinating topics, including: China’s grand strategy for advanced technology like AI, the characteristics of key Chinese AI actors (e.g. companies and individual thinkers), and the ethical implications of AI development.
While traditional media and China specialists can provide important insights on these questions through on-the-ground reporting and extensive background knowledge, ChinAI takes a different approach: it bets on the proposition that for many of these issues, the people with the most knowledge and insight are Chinese people themselves who are sharing their insights in Chinese. Through translating articles and documents from government departments, think tanks, traditional media, and newer forms of “self-media,” etc., ChinAI provides a unique look into the intersection between a country that is changing the world and a technology that is doing the same.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 6, 2025 • 8min
“ChinAI #331: Chinese Public Perceptions and Usage of AI (2025 survey)” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksChinese Public Perceptions and Usage of Generative AIWeChat’s integration of DeepSeekCompute is not the answer to AI sovereigntyThe U.S. Needs A Generative AI Intensity IndexGrant Delays Threaten Cultural and Language Studies ProgramsDeepSeek-R1 incentivizes reasoning in LLMs through reinforcement learningMiles Brundage
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration. ---
First published:
October 6th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-331-chinese-public-perceptions
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Sep 29, 2025 • 8min
“ChinAI #330: Chinese Universities Top Global CS Rankings” by Jeffrey Ding
Plus, a deeper dive into the CSRankings methodology.Featured linksEnding CMU’s Dominance, Tsinghua University Takes the Top Spot in CSRankings! Peking University Leads in AICSRankingsHere’sEvery Great Tech Hub Needs RegulationU.S. Loses Appeal for Chinese AI ResearchersUS-China AI Governance PhD FellowshipsCorrection to ChinAI #328 on Cold Reality for Chinese AI Start-ups
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
September 29th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-330-chinese-universities-top
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Sep 22, 2025 • 10min
“ChinAI #329: China’s Shifting Cloud Market — A Review of Q1 and Q2 data” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksMid-Year Review of Major Cloud ProvidersTopology of “China AI”Selective Restraint: How China Regulates Facial Recognition in 2025US-China AI Governance PhD FellowshipsChinAI #305: Computing Power Shifts in the AI Inference Era
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 The original text contained 1 footnote which was omitted from this narration. ---
First published:
September 22nd, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-329-chinas-shifting-cloud
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Sep 15, 2025 • 7min
“ChinAI #328: The Cold Reality for Chinese AI Start-ups” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksThe Realities of AI Start-ups in 2025PhD in theoretical computer scienceChina's Big AI Diffusion Plan is Here. Will it Work?ChinAI full translationTaiwan’s “silicon shield” could be weakeningWorking with US CAISI and UK AISI to build more secure AI systemsSilicon Valley enabled brutal mass detention and surveillance in China, internal documents show
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
September 15th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-328-the-cold-reality-for-chinese
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Sep 8, 2025 • 9min
“ChinAI #327: Critiquing China’s AI Plus Plan” by Jeffrey Ding
A Strategic Reading of China’s Three-step AI Strategy for the Next Decade.Featured linksThe Nation Sets the Tone for “AI Plus”Geopolitechs newsletterMeasures for the Security Management of Facial Recognition Technology ApplicationsThe AI Plus initiative – China’s blueprint for AI diffusionChina Has a Different Vision for AI. It Might Be Smarter.Assassin’s Apprentice
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
September 8th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-327-deciphering-chinas-ai
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Aug 25, 2025 • 5min
“ChinAI #325: One Year Later - Technology and the Rise of Great Powers” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksState of AI Safety in China (2025)Worrying example of AI slopLao Dongyan on 2024 and RenewalChinAI #77Political Economy of AI Syllabus
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
August 25th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-325-one-year-later-technology
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Aug 11, 2025 • 9min
“ChinAI #323: The AI Deflation of China’s Tech Giants” by Jeffrey Ding
Why are Chinese tech giants spending so little on AI Capex?.Featured linksIn this US-China AI race, Chinese internet giants are rapidly becoming marginalizedChinAI #98McKinsey report.China Watching in Chinese - A Guide to Chinese-Language Analysis of Chinese PoliticsBumingbai [不明白播客] podcastTencent Research Institute and Factchecking Platform Jiao Zhen Analyzed 100 Cases of AI-generated DisinformationChinese scientists do a comprehensive safety study of ~20 LLMs – and they find similar things to Western researchersImportAI newsletterHorizon FellowshipHorizon Fellowship
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
August 11th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-323-the-ai-deflation-of-chinas
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Aug 4, 2025 • 8min
“ChinAI #322: 100 Cases of AI Disinformation on the Wall, take one down and don’t pass it around” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksTencent Research Institute and Factchecking Platform Jiao Zhen Analyzed 100 Cases of AI-generated DisinformationTencent Res. Institute Tackles Value Alignment in Large Model Security & Ethics Research ReportThread on World AI Conference in ShanghaiWhy Are Tech Billionaires so Obsessed with the Roman Empire?
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
August 4th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-322-100-cases-of-ai-disinformation
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Jul 28, 2025 • 7min
“ChinAI #321: Shallow, Narrow, and Slow — the reality of China’s DeepSeek adoption” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksThe latest notes on DeepSeek’s all-in-one machineFinancial TimesChina BriefSourcesLinkedIn postsLeiphone articleThe Audiobook version ofYou don’t have to be America or China to win in AI, says Rishi SunakWhy are there no massive Chinese SaaS companies?The Summer of Free AI-gency
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
July 28th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-321-deepseek-spreads-across
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
Jul 14, 2025 • 6min
“ChinAI #320: Acting Crazy — AI’s most important use case for Chinese youth” by Jeffrey Ding
Featured linksYoung people who love acting crazy, intensely act crazy toward AIChinAI #300
Thank you for reading and engaging
These are Jeff Ding's (sometimes) weekly translations of Chinese-language musings on AI and related topics. Jeff is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University.
Check out the archive of all past issues here & please subscribe here to support ChinAI under a Guardian/Wikipedia-style tipping model (everyone gets the same content but those who can pay for a subscription will support access for all).
Any suggestions or feedback? Let me know at chinainewsletter@gmail.com or on Twitter at @jjding99 ---
First published:
July 14th, 2025
Source:
https://chinai.substack.com/p/chinai-320-acting-crazy-ais-most
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.
