China should boost basic research in AI

The Government Work Report that Premier Li Keqiang delivered to the national legislature on March 5 emphasized that artificial intelligence (AI) technology be strengthened in emerging industries to improve the core competitiveness of the sector and improve the science and technology industries.

Since 2006, a group of scholars, represented by Geoffrey Hinton, a cognitive psychologist and computer scientist, has optimized neural network models, with the focus on AI and characterized by deep learning technology, inspiring a new wave of developments in the science and technology sectors.

Countries work out AI strategies based on their own national situations to deal with future scientific and technological competition. For example, Canada issued the Pan-Canadian Artificial Intelligence Strategy in 2017, which focuses on basic theoretical research and a pool of talents to strengthen its international reputation as a cultivator of AI talents.

The Declaration of Cooperation on Artificial Intelligence signed by the European Union states in 2018 emphasizes the moral code and legal framework of AI, with the aim of enhancing the technological and industrial capability of the EU to prepare for the social and economic changes brought about by AI.

And in 2019, the United States announced that the American AI Initiative will focus on five major aspects of research and development — science and technology; data resources; policy standards; personnel training; and international cooperation — in order to ensure its leadership in the field of AI.

As for China, it formulated the Development Planning for a New Generation of Artificial Intelligence in 2017 with the aim of becoming a leader in AI theory and application, as well as an AI innovation center through thorough research.