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” (新一轮科技革命和产业变革的核心引擎) and is “reshaping the way economic development and social life operate” (重塑经济发展与社会生活的运作方式) (NDRC, August 26). This description appears in an explainer released in late August alongside the “Opinion on Deepening Implementation of the ‘AI+’ Action Plan” (关于深入实施“人工智能+”行动的意见), 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” (国全面步入智能经济和智能社会发展新阶段). 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 (科学技术), industrial development (产业发展), improving consumption quality (消费提质), people’s welfare (民生福祉), governance capacity (治理能力), and global cooperation (全球合作) (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” (创新哲学社会科学研究方法) to the “intelligent upgrading of agriculture” (农业数智化转型升级) to others as vague as simply creating a “better quality of life” (更有品质的美好生活).
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