China plans to establish at least 50 sets of artificial intelligence (AI) standards by 2026. The standards will focus on areas like chips, applications, and safety. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released a draft policy listing the standards.
They cover AI safety, governance, applications, computing systems, large language models (LLMs), and chips. China wants to be a major player in the fast-growing AI sector.
China’s AI standards and goals
It also aims to close the technological gap with the United States. The MIIT said, “AI is the foundational and strategic technology driving the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation.”
Integrating AI into China’s economy is expected to transform industrial production and economic development. It will enhance the country’s manufacturing capabilities and internet of things (IoT) infrastructure.
Over a quarter of China’s 369 unicorns (start-ups valued at over $1 billion) are in the AI and semiconductor sectors. These initiatives are part of China’s strategy to foster an innovation-oriented and market-friendly environment for technological development. The policy identifies 12 critical technologies across the AI supply chain:
Natural-language processing
Computer vision
Machine learning (a subfield of AI involving systems performing complex tasks similar to human problem-solving)
The proposed AI industry chain has four layers:
Foundational computing power
Algorithms and data for training LLMs
Frameworks
Models and applications
As China accelerates its AI efforts, it aims to advance domestically and shape the global landscape of this transformative technology.
