Forward Thinking on China and artificial intelligence with Jeffrey Ding

In this episode of the McKinsey Global Institute's Forward Thinking podcast, host Michael Chui speaks with Jeffrey Ding, researcher and founder of the ChinAI Newsletter, about information asymmetry in artificial intelligence between China and the West. They cover why data may not be like oil, the Chinese industry adage on products, platforms, and standards, "unsexy AI," and more. An edited transcript of this episode follows. Subscribe to the series on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts. Anna Bernasek, co-host: Michael, there's a lot of talk right now about artificial intelligence, or AI, and what it means for global competition. I'm really glad we've got a guest today that can talk to us about what's really going on, particularly when it comes to the US and China. It definitely is a fascinating topic--at least, I find it personally. I'm a former AI practitioner and more recently, at the McKinsey Global Institute, have been able to study the impact of AI on business and more broadly. And one of the reasons I'm so excited about today's conversation is because it's with somebody you probably don't know yet but probably should. He's famous in certain corners of the internet but his work, it turns out, is relevant everywhere.