Beyond tech, the US-China AI race is a tussle over ethics

America’s plans underline its focus on the need for a skilled workforce to progress in science, the economy and national security.

China has also made remarkable strides in its AI research, surpassing the US in several key areas. According to Georgetown University’s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, China leads globally in the volume of AI research papers, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences at the forefront. While the quality of Chinese research supposedly lagged, Chinese institutions now rank highest in highly cited research.

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What’s it like to ride in China’s AI-driven robotaxi?

The intensifying AI competition between the US and China will shape global technology standards, economic policies and security frameworks, making continued investment in AI research crucial for both nations.

The role of AI in healthcare is growing in the US. With company healthcare plans expected to cost 9 per cent more next year, partly due to inflation, the industry is turning to AI to constrain expenses. Accenture estimates that 40 per cent of the working hours spent by healthcare providers can be supported or augmented by AI, improving efficiency. To date, the US Food and Drug Administration has approved at least 950 AI-enabled medical devices.

Advances continue, such as Google’s medical large language model, called Med-PaLM 2, which boasts an accuracy rate of 85 per cent when answering medical questions.

As far as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance is concerned, AI-driven systems remain in the spotlight on both sides.

The US and China are invested in geospatial analysis, with contracts awarded to AI-enabled platforms that can process satellite data in real time, instrumental in improving situational awareness. Both