China emerges as leader in AI development and governance

China plays a leading role in the global development of artificial intelligence (AI) and has excelled in AI governance, according to the AI Governance International Evaluation Index (AGILE).

According to the China Daily Report, the AGILE Index was developed by the Center for Long-term Artificial Intelligence and the International Research Center for AI Ethics and Governance (both under the Institute of Automation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences).

The comprehensive assessment covered 39 parameters in 14 representative countries, intending to illustrate the current landscape of AI governance and suggest improvements for global governance systems.

The index reveals that China ranks second overall with a score of 68.5, surpassed only slightly by the United States (which scored just above 70). China's performance significantly outpaces its per capita GDP, demonstrating its superior AI development and effective governance mechanisms.

While China displays considerable strengths in AI development, the report notes challenges in AI infrastructure. Among eight key indicators (articles published on AI, professionals, patents granted, AI systems published, top 500 supercomputer FLOPs, co-location data centres, total funding of AI companies and start-ups), China secures second place with contributions ranging from 10 per cent to 33 per cent of the total. However, China holds only 2.5 per cent of the infrastructure for AI data centres – crucial for data processing and the development of large-scale AI applications – ranking ninth overall.

Notably, China stands out for its growing body of literature on AI governance. In 2021, Chinese publications accounted for 23.1 per cent of global AI governance literature – the highest among the 14 surveyed countries.