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Lyons acknowledged that different nations will have different approaches to AI depending on “national needs and priorities,” and that it was important to recognize these. “We see potentially diverging perceptions about the development and use of AI as something to embrace and attempt to overcome through our work,” said Lyons, who stressed again that PAI cannot achieve its goals “unless we have insight from the other major AI actor on the global stage (China).”
In order to achieve its goals, PAI has created a number of working groups on particular topics, like “AI, Labor and the Economy,” “Safety Critical AI,” and “AI and Social Good.” However, none of the groups have yet published research.
Baidu is the first Chinese member of PAI, but it’s not the most influential tech company working with AI in China. The company had an early lead in AI, and is pursuing familiar programs like self-driving cars and a voice-activated assistant. But in recent years, China’s other tech giants, like Alibaba and Tencent, have spent more money on their AI development. At the same time, a new generation of firms like iFlytek, SenseTime, and Bytedance have carved out a place for themselves in sub-domains like facial recognition.
Welcoming Baidu to Partnership on AI may be the start of the group’s outreach in China, but it can’t be the end.