China surges ahead of US in AI startup funding- Nikkei Asian Review

Chinese companies won nearly half of all funding for AI startups last year, vaulting past the U.S. and firmly establishing the country as a global leader in the field. Artificial intelligence startups worldwide raised a record $15.2 billion in 2017, according to American research firm CB Insights. Chinese businesses accounted for 48% of the total, up from just 11.6% in 2016. The U.S. placed second with 38%. Chinese startups are plowing much of this funding into facial recognition technology -- an area Beijing supports as a matter of national policy -- and AI chips, for which global demand is growing.