Arran Hope
Executive Summary:By 2035, artificial intelligence (AI) will underpin practically all sectors of the economy and society, according to recent plans from policy planners in Beijing.
The upcoming 15th Five-Year Plan could become the first to include “AI+” as a major policy initiative.
Development of the “AI+” formulation is a good example of Beijing’s approach to policymaking, with almost a decade of local experimentation preceding its appearance in central-level policies.
Experts caution that current “AI+X” approaches remain superficial and that AI diffusion could be hampered by short-changed local governments, a weak domestic venture capital sector, and the complexity of the integrating the technology throughout the economy.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is officially moving to the center of the national stage in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). In the words of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), it “is the core engine of a new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation” (ๆฐไธ่ฝฎ็งๆ้ฉๅฝๅไบงไธๅ้ฉ็ๆ ธๅฟๅผๆ) and is “reshaping the way economic development and social life operate” (้ๅก็ปๆตๅๅฑไธ็คพไผ็ๆดป็่ฟไฝๆนๅผ) (NDRC, August 26). This description appears in an explainer released in late August alongside the “Opinion on Deepening Implementation of the ‘AI+’ Action Plan” (ๅ
ณไบๆทฑๅ
ฅๅฎๆฝ“ไบบๅทฅๆบ่ฝ+”่กๅจ็ๆ่ง), a landmark document from the State Council that signals the Party-state’s intentions for the direction of development policies over the next decade (State Council, August 26). By 2035, the “Opinion” states that the country will have “fully entered a new stage of development based on an intelligent economy and society” (ๅฝๅ
จ้ขๆญฅๅ
ฅๆบ่ฝ็ปๆตๅๆบ่ฝ็คพไผๅๅฑๆฐ้ถๆฎต). That, at least, is the plan.
Six Areas of Focus for AI-Driven Development
The core of the “Opinion” sketches out six priority areas, appending them with the “AI+” moniker. These include science and technology (็งๅญฆๆๆฏ), industrial development (ไบงไธๅๅฑ), improving consumption quality (ๆถ่ดนๆ่ดจ), people’s welfare (ๆฐ็็ฆ็ฅ), governance capacity (ๆฒป็่ฝๅ), and global cooperation (ๅ
จ็ๅไฝ) (CCTV, August 27). Despite being highlighted as key areas of focus, they nevertheless encompass an enormous section of the economy and society. Specific sub-topics within these areas proposed for deeper integration with AI range from “revolutionizing research methodologies in philosophy and the social sciences” (ๅๆฐๅฒๅญฆ็คพไผ็งๅญฆ็ ็ฉถๆนๆณ) to the “intelligent upgrading of agriculture” (ๅไธๆฐๆบๅ่ฝฌๅๅ็บง) to others as vague as simply creating a “better quality of life” (ๆดๆๅ่ดจ็็พๅฅฝ็ๆดป).
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