The Chinese approach to artificial intelligence: an analysis of policy, ethics, and regulation

TLDR

In July 2017, China’s State Council unveiled the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan, a strategy that has prompted numerous reports examining its policy and technical dimensions. The article aims to analyze the socio‑political background and policy debates shaping China’s AI strategy, offering a comprehensive and critical synthesis of diverse policy documents. The authors examine China’s key AI investment sectors and the ethical debates that constrain their use, synthesizing insights from a broad range of policy documents.

Abstract

Abstract In July 2017, China’s State Council released the country’s strategy for developing artificial intelligence (AI), entitled ‘New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan’ (新一代人工智能发展规划). This strategy outlined China’s aims to become the world leader in AI by 2030, to monetise AI into a trillion-yuan (ca. 150 billion dollars) industry, and to emerge as the driving force in defining ethical norms and standards for AI. Several reports have analysed specific aspects of China’s AI policies or have assessed the country’s technical capabilities. Instead, in this article, we focus on the socio-political background and policy debates that are shaping China’s AI strategy. In particular, we analyse the main strategic areas in which China is investing in AI and the concurrent ethical debates that are delimiting its use. By focusing on the policy backdrop, we seek to provide a more comprehensive and critical understanding of China’s AI policy by bringing together debates and analyses of a wide array of policy documents.