Obstacles to China's AI development and ways to solve them: a multi-pronged approach of data, technology, and talent
I. Introduction
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become the focus of global technology competition. As a major AI country, China has made great strides in this field in recent years. However, in terms of chips, data, algorithms and other aspects, there is still a gap between China and the world's leading level. In particular, data barriers, insufficient investment in basic research, and talent shortages have become key obstacles restricting the development of AI in China. These obstacles not only limit the breakthrough and application of AI technology, but also affect China's position in the global AI competition. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately identify the obstacles and take targeted measures to solve them in order for China to achieve leapfrog development.
II. The main obstacles to the development of AI in China
A. Data barriers
Data is the core driver of AI. Massive, high-quality data is a necessary condition for training advanced AI models. However, there are still many obstacles in terms of data acquisition, integration, openness, and application in China. On the one hand, the data resources held by the government and enterprises are scattered in their respective "data islands", lacking effective integration and sharing mechanisms, and it is difficult to form a data synergy. On the other hand, compared with Internet application scenarios, the degree of digitalization in education, medical care, transportation and other industries is still relatively low, and the data accumulation is relatively insufficient. At the same time, for security and privacy reasons, the breadth and depth of public data openness also need to be improved. Data barriers make it difficult for AI companies and scientific research institutions to obtain sufficient training data, which limits the performance improvement and application of AI models.
B. Insufficient investment in basic research
Basic research is the theoretical cornerstone of AI development. At present, although AI technologies such as deep learning have been widely used, the basic theories behind them need to be further developed. Compared with AI powers such as the United States, China's investment in basic AI theory research is still relatively insufficient, and there are fewer original achievements. Some key fields, such as AI chips, brain-like intelligence, and explainable AI, need to start with basic research. Weak basic research leads to the control of core technologies, and key links such as chips, frameworks, and tools are highly dependent on foreign countries. Therefore, increasing investment in basic research and breaking through the bottleneck of core technologies is crucial to enhance the driving force and independent controllability of China's AI development.
C. Talent shortage
In the final analysis, AI development depends on talent. At present, both technology giants and innovative start-ups are facing a shortage of AI talents. Although China produces a large number of AI graduates every year, there is still a shortage of interdisciplinary talents who can solve practical problems and promote industrial development. This is not only due to the disconnection between the education system and the needs of the industry, but also due to the imperfect talent evaluation mechanism and the lack of incentive policies. The shortage of talents restricts the development speed and innovation height of China's AI industry, and it is urgent to improve the talent training system and promote the close integration of industry, academia, research and application in the field of AI.
III. Countermeasures to break down the barriers to AI development in China
A. Break down data silos and improve data quality
To break down data barriers, the government and enterprises need to work together to accelerate the construction of a national big data strategy and improve the data sharing and opening mechanism. The first is to strengthen top-level design, formulate laws, regulations, and standards for data integration, circulation, and application, and provide institutional guarantees for data openness and sharing. The second is to encourage governments and enterprises to open up data silos, establish cross-departmental and cross-industry data sharing platforms, and promote the convergence, circulation and value-added utilization of data resources. The third is to vigorously promote the digital transformation of traditional industries, improve data collection, storage, management, analysis and other capabilities, and improve data quality and value density. Fourth, strengthen data security protection and privacy protection, and enhance the public's trust in the open sharing of data. Open data sharing will help accelerate the innovation and application of AI technology, and give China's AI wings to take off.
B. Increase investment in basic research and make breakthroughs in core technologies
Basic research is the source of AI development. In order to achieve overtaking in the field of AI, China must increase investment in basic research and break through the bottleneck of core technologies. The first is to strengthen government guidance, set up a special fund for AI basic research, encourage enterprises to increase R&D investment, and form a diversified investment mechanism. The second is to give full play to the basic research advantages of universities and research institutes, establish a research center for basic AI theory, and carry out cutting-edge exploration and original research. The third is to focus on key areas such as AI chips, brain-like intelligence, and explainable AI, and concentrate on tackling key technologies and grasping the initiative in development. Fourth, strengthen international cooperation, actively participate in global AI basic research, and enhance the global influence of China's AI. Only by consolidating basic research can we provide a steady stream of innovation impetus for China's AI development.
C. Improve the AI education system and accelerate the cultivation of talents
Talent is the fundamental guarantee for AI development. To solve the problem of talent shortage, it is necessary to improve the AI education system and accelerate the cultivation of compound talents. The first is to promote the popularization of AI basic education, incorporate programming and data analysis into the curriculum system of primary and secondary schools, and improve the AI literacy of the whole people. The second is to deepen the integration of industry and education, encourage cooperation between universities and enterprises, set up AI majors and practical training courses, and cultivate practical talents. The third is to improve the evaluation and incentive mechanism for AI talents, and provide a stage for outstanding talents to display their talents. Fourth, we should strengthen AI ethics and morality education, and cultivate AI talents with both family and country feelings and a global perspective. Only by continuously cultivating high-quality AI talents can China's AI development form a sustainable talent advantage.
IV. Chips and the development of AI in China
Chips are the hardware foundation for AI development. At present, the global AI chip market is mainly occupied by foreign manufacturers such as NVIDIA. Although China started late in the field of AI chips, a number of innovative companies such as Cambrian and Horizon have also emerged in recent years. The development of AI chips is of great significance to improve the level of AI computing power and industrial competitiveness of China. However, compared with soft power such as data and algorithms, chips are not the decisive factor in the development of AI. As long as we take a multi-pronged approach in terms of open data sharing, breakthroughs in basic research, and talent training, China's AI can also achieve leapfrog development.
V. Conclusion
China's AI development faces key obstacles such as data barriers, insufficient investment in basic research, and talent shortages. To break these obstacles, it is necessary to break through data silos, increase investment in basic research, improve the talent training system, and promote multi-pronged and systematic progress. Chips, while important, are not the decisive factor in the development of AI. Only by continuing to make efforts in data, technology, and talent can China's AI truly catch up and seize the opportunity in the new round of scientific and technological revolution. To become an AI power, China must maintain strategic focus, adhere to independent innovation, accelerate breakthroughs in core technologies and applications, and promote the deep integration of AI and the real economy. At the same time, we should also deepen international cooperation from a global perspective and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results in open cooperation. China's AI development has a long way to go, but as long as we strengthen our confidence and work hard, we will surely win the initiative, win the advantage, and win the future in this new round of scientific and technological revolution.