China calls for borderless research to promote AI development

Beijing: A little more than a year ago, China released an aggressive plan to become the world's leading artificial intelligence (AI) player. But with its technological dependence on the US laid bare, it's now promoting a softer approach, calling for all nations to join hands to develop the technology. Chinese leaders, including vice premier Liu He, joined business mogul Jack Ma and executives from Google at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai to support a borderless approach to AI research. He called for foreign investment in the country and pledged to foster "an environment of free thinking" to support development. The tone struck by He is a far cry from the aggressive plan issued by the State Council last year with the aim of China becoming the world leader in AI by 2030, in part through government support.