'China Will Never Produce An Elon Musk': AI Expert Points To Beijing's Biggest Problem Amid AI Race With US

The United States and China are two countries to watch, especially when it comes to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI). The possibilities are endless, and it may all boil down to an individual or expert who has the guts to relentlessly exhaust all means to come up with an advanced AI model that can turn a system into economic, industrial, and political power at scale.

Looking at the US, there is little doubt that visionary Elon Musk stands out. The Tesla CEO is someone who is not afraid to take risks and put himself out in the open. Could China have a potential counterpart on its end?

In the eyes of Kyle Chan, a research fellow at the Brookings Institution, the emergence of someone similar to Musk in China is highly unlikely.

'I would not bet on that. I would not bet on an Elon Musk-type personality emerging right now in China's tech ecosystem,' Chan said to Yalda Hakim on the podcast channel, The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim.

To support his view, Chan pointed to the practices of the Chinese government, especially its emphasis on control.

'I think overall, there is this interesting balance that I think the Chinese government, the Chinese regulators, are trying to strike,' Chan explained. 'They do want to make sure that certain ideas, certain kinds of criticism of the government (...) that those are sort of diffused, not infused into the Chinese tech ecosystem,' he added.

China's Old School Ways Could Be Costly

Chan went on to explain how China's reliance on its traditional system could be costly in terms of innovation. Despite being aware of how AI can make a difference, the constraints limit what tech experts can explore, particularly when it comes to developing advanced models that could improve different sectors across the country.

'They are quite aware of the need to provide enough space for innovation. They know that if you just have a sort of top-down system where the government, basically dictates what the companies do, which is sort of China's old model. That really can only get you so far, especially in a fast-moving space like AI where you really have to adapt quickly,' Chan said.

Who Is Really Winning the AI Race?

Despite China's different approach, it does not necessarily follow that it is behind in the AI race. In fact, Chan points out that progress remains steady, albeit at a slower pace.

'They're prioritising other goals. They're focused on efficiency, building models that are cheaper to train and run. They're focused on adoption, using an open-source strategy to win users around the world,' Chan said in a post on High Capacity.

He went on to say that, at present, the United States appears to have an advantage due to frontier models, advanced semiconductors, and greater compute infrastructure. However, China maintains an edge in the energy sector.

As a result, determining who is winning the AI race depends on what criteria are being used. The observations Chan shared represent the second of three scenarios.

The first scenario focused on whether the development of AI models could serve as a barometer for leadership in the AI race. While China was described earlier as lagging behind compared to US efforts, outcomes still depend on model complexity and efficiency.

The third version he shared was the impact of AI on the economy and the people. He explains that owning the best AI model is not enough. Rather, this all hinges on whether AI can help the economy become more productive, help workers improve their work, and make communities more vibrant.

In short, determining the winner in the AI race depends on multiple conditions and factors. China may be slower but still produces models that are highly efficient. The US may be more advanced and currently in the lead. But as Chan pointed out, unless these advances improve economic outcomes and people's lives, they amount to incremental progress rather than a transformational leap in AI development.