Alphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday it is opening an artificial intelligence (AI) research center in China to target the country's local talent, even as the US search firm's products remain blocked in the country. Google said in a statement the research center is the first of its kind in Asia and will comprise a small team operating out of its existing office in Beijing. Chinese policy makers have voiced strong support for AI research and development in the country, but have imposed increasingly strict rules on foreign firms in the past year, including new censorship restrictions. Google's search engine is banned in the Chinese market along with its app store, email and cloud storage services. China's cyber regulators say restrictions on foreign media and internet platforms are designed to block influences that contravene stability and socialist ideas.

Toronto's push to become a global leader in artificial intelligence (AI) is finding support from all levels of government, academia and private businesses. The University of Toronto's newly unveiled Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence will be receiving $50 million in funding from the province of Ontario, in addition to $40-50 million over the next five years from the federal government and $80 million over 10 years from the private sector. "We're in a period of great transition in our economy with technology disrupting, challenging, and improving the way we live and work," Premier Kathleen Wynne told the crowd at the official launch of Vector's new headquarters in the MaRS Discovery District in downtown Toronto on Mar. 30. "When everything is changing as fast as it is, we have two options: follow or lead. With the launch of Vector, Ontario is choosing to lead the next great leap forward in technology, innovation and talent."