China’s AI ambitions

Summary

Asia has become the world's largest source of Google search interest in artificial intelligence, and investment in the region is keeping pace with that curiosity. China and the rest of Asia Pacific are racing to become the region's, and potentially the world's, leading AI power, a contest that matters for Southeast Asian businesses trying to find their place in the value chain.

China's historical dominance in AI spending and financing across the region is backed by a national policy plan aimed at building a domestic AI industry and positioning the country as the global leader in the field by 2030. China's AI research output and patent filings continue to grow, even as its AI talent pipeline still depends heavily on education in the United States, while domestic universities rapidly expand AI-related coursework.

For businesses across the region, the real opportunities lie in the barriers foreign AI firms face in acquiring local data, the advantages of partnering with local firms for lead generation and market access, and the potential for long-term technology transfer through structured training partnerships.

Is it premature to call China the winner of the race to become the world's first AI superpower, or is the outcome already decided?