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
Jan 15, 2024 • 6min
“ChinAI #250: LLMs summarize China’s 2023 in one word” by Jeffrey Ding
Jeff Ding, Assistant Professor of Political Science at George Washington University, discusses how language models summarize China's 2023, hottest internet events, college graduate employment, and generative AI. The podcast also explores the decline in American students studying Chinese and the Chinese approach to maintenance management.
Jan 8, 2024 • 7min
“ChinAI #249: China’s idle AI computing centers” by Jeffrey Ding
In this podcast, Jeff Ding discusses the issue of high idle rates in China's computing centers and the challenges they pose. The conversation also explores the implementation gap for large language models and the unfair scrutiny faced by Asian American officials. Furthermore, the podcast delves into investigative reporting on China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, along with China's strategy in the AI race.
Dec 18, 2023 • 6min
“ChinAI #248: XiaoIce, where do we go from here?” by Jeffrey Ding
Exploring the future of Xiaoice in a ChatGPT world, post Microsoft spinoff. Li Di as CEO, challenges faced by Xiaoice. Teng Shiao-o's legacy honored, AI metaphors in policy-making discussed. Book recommendations for 2023 included.
Dec 11, 2023 • 7min
“ChinAI #247: XiaoIce, a Strange Species of Chatbot” by Jeffrey Ding
The podcast explores the history and strategy of XiaoIce chatbot in China, its innovative approach on WeChat, emphasis on data cleaning, setbacks like missing out on large language models. Delve into translated Chinese AI white papers, PhD job market papers on knowledge spillovers, gender gap in STEM fields. Support Jeff Ding's weekly translations of Chinese musings on AI.
Dec 4, 2023 • 7min
“ChinAI #246: The State of Large Model Governance in China” by Jeffrey Ding
Learn about the governance of large language models in China, including algorithm filing registry and safety assessments. Discover the challenges in setting safety benchmarks and tracing model origins. Explore diverse AI applications and ethical implications.
Nov 27, 2023 • 9min
“ChinAI #245: Around the Horn (13th edition)” by Jeffrey Ding
Explore the impact of vector databases in large language models and a smartphone company's unique AI assistant. Delve into challenges faced by Chinese delivery drivers, global AI governance, and Japan's semiconductor policy shift. Discover classical Chinese texts with large language models and AI's impact on industry reports. Dive into DeepMind's distributed training methods in AI models and China's decreasing foreign investment trend.
Nov 20, 2023 • 7min
“ChinAI #244: Can Chinese Automotive Chips Overtake on the Turn?” by Jeffrey Ding
The podcast explores China's low localization rates in automotive chips and the potential for Chinese chips to overtake. It discusses the growth in demand for new energy vehicles driving the sector's development and the challenges such as foreign trade barriers and technical limitations. The analysis delves into Chinese automotive chips like Huawei MDC and Horizon J3, alongside foreign domination. It also touches on China's innovation drive, AI applications in classical Chinese texts, President Biden's AI regulation plan, and the impact of AI tools on creativity.
Nov 13, 2023 • 6min
“ChinAI #243: LLM Riddles! How Many Can You Solve?” by Jeffrey Ding
A viral game in China involving LLM riddles showcases the capabilities of language models. The podcast delves into prompt engineering challenges and insights. It also explores complexities in research collaboration and the closure of a China-related project, offering valuable insights into AI safety.
Oct 30, 2023 • 9min
“ChinAI #242: The Long Road to Speech AI (part 2)” by Jeffrey Ding
Exploring the impact of Chinese AI researchers at CLSP, from Peng Xu's journey to large language models to the entrepreneurial success of voice interaction technology developers. Dive into the evolution of tech innovations, funding struggles, and China's involvement in international AI governance certification.
Oct 23, 2023 • 7min
“ChinAI #241: The Long Road to Speech AI” by Jeffrey Ding
Discover the impactful journey of Chinese AI researchers at Johns Hopkins University, including their contributions to speech recognition and language processing. Learn about key figures like Jeleneck and Ping Su, and their influence on AI at Google. Delves into diverse AI topics such as voice interaction startups, AI chip export guidelines, and job hiring in AI governance and policy.
