In the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), Chinese companies are making significant strides to catch up with industry leaders. Since the onset of the large language model (LLM) boom in 2022, Chinese AI firms have solidified their position as key players and are working diligently to close the gap with their international counterparts.
Impressive Performance and Growing Influence
A SuperBench assessment report from Tsinghua University highlights the progress of Chinese models like Zhipu AI’s GLM-4 and Baidu’s Ernie Bot 4.0. These models are approaching the performance levels of top global models such as GPT-4 and Claude-3. This advancement demonstrates China’s growing influence and capability in the AI sector.
China, with its vast data resources and diverse application scenarios, is emerging as a prominent trendsetter and a key player in the AI industry. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology’s white paper on the global digital economy reveals that 36 percent of the world’s 1,328 AI LLMs originate from China, second only to the United States.
Commercial Launches and Technological Advancements
Chinese tech giants like Baidu and ByteDance are at the forefront of this movement, launching commercially viable LLMs and utilizing extensive data to revolutionize AI applications. For instance, in May, Alibaba Cloud released Tongyi Qianwen 2.5, and ByteDance introduced the Doubao family of models, both of which showcase China’s advancements in AI technology.
Xue Lan, dean of Schwarzman College at Tsinghua University, attributes China’s success to societal acceptance of AI, a robust business-led ecosystem, and supportive government policies. Additionally, Kang Xi, an assistant professor at Vanderbilt University, emphasizes China’s computing power and vast consumer data as critical factors that enhance the foundations of AI models and facilitate tailored implementations for other countries.
Energetic Generative AI Landscape
The energetic generative AI landscape in China is marked by the rapid adoption of AI tools by startups, tech giants, and state-owned enterprises. With nearly 30,000 AI companies operating worldwide, China accounts for approximately 15 percent, showcasing its significant presence in the global AI market.
According to the World Intellectual Property Organization, China filed over 38,000 generative AI patent applications in the past decade, ranking first globally. Leading Chinese entities such as Tencent, Ping An Insurance, Baidu, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Alibaba, and ByteDance are among the top patent applicants, reflecting China’s substantial progress in the AI sector.
Narrowing the Technological Gap
Yang Mingyuan, an AI developer at Baidu AI Cloud, notes that the technological gap between Chinese firms and OpenAI has significantly narrowed. When ChatGPT-3.5 was released, it was estimated that catching up with OpenAI would take one to two years. However, after just one year, the gap has reduced to six months, with Chinese firms surpassing in areas like Chinese language-processing capabilities.
Baidu’s comprehensive AI framework, encompassing chips, deep learning frameworks, large models, and search applications, positions it well for commercial opportunities in China. Zhou Hongyi, founder of Qihoo 360, underscores the importance of not blindly following OpenAI but instead focusing on specialized, precise, and high-performance AI applications.
What Next for the Chinese AI Firms?
Chinese companies are deploying large models across various devices, including computers, smartphones, and cars, and are improving data quality to guide LLMs towards more efficient and specialized directions. With these concerted efforts, China’s AI sector will continue to advance rapidly and play a pivotal role in the global AI landscape.
See also: Apple Secures Observer Seat On OpenAI Board In Strategic AI Partnership
