中国将在AI技术上把美国甩在身后——新闻两则及评论 [美国媒体]

（第一则新闻链接：https://asia.nikkei.com/Business ... niversity-professor）

China is leading the global race for supremacy in artificial intelligence and financial technologies, a professor at one of the country's top universities said, as the private and public sectors join forces to capture the next big waves of innovation and pump vast resources into the industry.

中国一所顶尖大学的教授表示，随着私人和公共部门联合起来捕捉下一轮创新浪潮，并将巨量资源注入产业之中，中国正在争夺人工智能（AI）和金融科技霸主地位的竞赛中取得领先。



Since its launch in 2013, x-lab has attracted projects across a wide range of industries, including AI-powered services and fintech. It has nurtured more than 1,200 teams, and startups involved in the platform have raised some 2.7 billion yuan ($400 million).

自2013年推出以来，x实验室吸引了包括AI服务和金融科技在内的众多产业的项目。它已经培养了1200多个团队，参与该平台的初创公司筹集了大约27亿元（4亿美元）资金。



Steven White, associate professor at Tsinghua University's school of economics and management

清华大学经济管理学院副教授史蒂芬·怀特

Beijing-based Tsinghua is home to China's top engineering and computer science talent. It was ranked 14th in Times Higher Education's 2018 World Reputation Rankings. White said it already rivals MIT in the number of patents granted in the U.S., an indication of China's strength in "knowledge output". One goal of x-lab is to develop such ideas into a commercial business, an area that White admits still lags behind Silicon Valley.

北京的清华大学是中国顶尖的工程和计算机科技人才的摇篮，在泰晤士2018年的高等教育-QS世界大学排名中排在第14位。怀特说，清华在美申请专利的获准数量已经可以与麻省理工匹敌，这足以证明中国在“知识产出”方面的实力。x实验室的目标之一就是推动这些创新理念发展成为一个个商务事业——怀特承认在这一方面他们仍然落后于硅谷。



That played out well in the fintech industry, White said, where China now dwarfs the U.S. in mobile payments transactions. Similar signals are beginning to appear in AI; SenseTime, which develops AI software for facial recognition and image processing, among others, raised $1.2 billion in two funding rounds in April and May.
Beijing's recent escalation in tensions with Washington may accelerate China's push toward "independent innovation," White said. The U.S. administration's decision in April to temporarily ban Chinese telecommunications equipment maker ZTE from buying components from American suppliers was "the best illustration of the danger that Chinese firms have when they rely on foreign technology," he said.

怀特表示，这在金融科技产业上表现得尤为突出，中国现在在移动支付领域已经令美国相形见绌。而类似的信号已经开始出现在AI领域，在今年4月和5月的两轮募资中，包括专门开发面部识别和图像处理AI软件的商汤科技（SenseTime）在内的AI公司，总共筹集到了12亿美元资金。
怀特还说，北京最近与华盛顿间的紧张局势升级可能加速中国对“自主创新”的推动。4月，美国政府决定暂时禁止中国电信设备制造商中兴从美国供应商那里购买零部件，这恰恰成为“中国企业依靠外国技术将面临何种危险局面的最佳示范”。



China AI startups like SenseTime, which is focused on facial recognition, have been raising large sums in recent months

中国的人工智能（AI = Artificial Intelligence）初创公司，如专注面部识别的商汤科技（SenseTime），近几个月来一直在筹集巨额资金

There are pitfalls. White cited the peer-to-peer lending industry, where lax regulations led to a boom, only to have it come crashing down with a string of high-profile fraud cases. In another example, the government's support for the solar industry gave players access to easy financing, which lead to overcapacity and a bruising price war. The most recent setback is in the bike sharing industry, where Ofo, a top player, recently hit the brakes on overseas expansion.

当然也存在隐患。怀特以P2P借贷行业为例，指出因宽松的监管导致的繁荣，最终只会因一连串欺诈行为而崩溃。在另一个案例中，政府对太阳能产业的支持使参与者非常容易获得融资，从而导致产能过剩和价格战。最近的挫折则是共享单车行业的顶尖玩家Ofo，在海外扩张上踩了急刹车。

As Chinese companies move into products and services in the higher end, they also have to grow out of their focus on scale and price. Running a global operation is another challenge. "Now the answer is a strong top-down model, where the bottom implements. That barely works in China, and definitely doesn't work when you have global organization."
Nevertheless, White said most people lack awareness of the scale of China's ambitions. "I try to really make them aware, and even to be a little bit scared about how much is happening there."

随着中国企业进入高端产品和服务领域，他们也必须摆脱对规模和价格优势的依赖。进行全球化运营将是一个全新的挑战。怀特指出：“目前中方的答案似乎是一个强大的顶层设计、底层实现的模式。但这在中国都似乎不怎么成功，如果你运营的是一个全球性组织则肯定无法奏效。
“但大多数人对中国的宏大野心缺乏足够的认识。我试图让他们对那里正在发生些什么真正有所了解，甚至应该有点害怕。”


（第二则新闻链接：https://www.businessinsider.com/ ... ce-usa-2018-8/?IR=T）

'The future will be won or lost on this technology. I'm very concerned': The founder of a $9 billion company warns that China is on track to dominate the US in AI

"能否赢得未来将取决于这项技术。我非常担心。"一家价值90亿美元公司的创始人警告说，中国正逐步在人工智能（AI）技术上支配美国



ThoughtSpot founder and CEO Ajeet Singh

ThoughtSpot公司创始人及首席执行官阿吉特·辛格（Ajeet Singh）

Investors and entrepreneurs say that the US may soon fall behind in the race to build better artificial intelligence.
While many agree that the US was a leader in the technology's development, in recent years, the tables have turned: many say that China's tech could surpass the US's in five years or less.

投资人和企业家们说，美国可能很快就会在制造更好的人工智能的竞赛中落后。
尽管很多人都认同，美国曾是AI研发的领导者，但近年来形势出现了翻转：据说中国的技术可能在5年或更短时间内超越美国。



10 years ago, it was the other way around

10年前，情况完全相反

While the US established itself as the uncontested technological leader in the internet's early years, many investors and entrepreneurs believe it could soon lose its top spot.

尽管美国早在互联网时代初期就确立了自己无可争议的技术领先优势，但许多投资人和企业家都认为，它可能很快就会失去这一地位。

Ron Cao, a partner at Shanghai-based firm Sky9 Capital, says China has increasingly become the place to look for new trends and innovations in the internet business.
"What's going on with China's internet is a prediction of what will happen in the US internet market," says Cao. "10 years ago, it was completely the other way around: China was watching the US for cues. But over the past few years it's shifted. What's happening in China is beginning to be where it's going in the US."

总部位于上海的云九资本（Sky9 Capital）合伙人曹大容说，中国已越发成为寻找互联网业务新趋势和创新的地方。曹说：“中国互联网正在发生的事，现在预示着美国互联网市场将会发生什么。10年前，情况完全相反：那时的中国关注着美国的一举一动。过去几年情况发生了变化，中国所发生的事，正成为美国的指引。”

While many experts agree that China still has yet to surpass the US in its development of AI (in April, an Oxford University researcher said that he thought that China's AI was about half as good as that in the US), some say this won't be the case for long.

尽管许多专家认为中国在AI技术上还没有超过美国（四月，一位牛津大学的研究人员表示，他认为中国的AI技术只赶上了美国的一半），有人说这种情况不会持续太久。

AI is the next "space race"

人工智能将是下一场“太空竞赛”



While others have compared the race for better AI to the Cold War's arms race, Singh likens it to another global rivalry in innovation: "You can think of this in terms of the Space Race," he said. "The Space Race uplifted the industrial skillset in the country. I think this is quite similar in regards to staying ahead — we’ve got to make it a national priority."

多数人把有关人工智能的竞争与冷战时期的军备竞赛相比，但辛格却把它看作另一场全球创新大赛：”你可以从太空竞赛的角度来看这个问题。太空竞赛提升了整个国家的工业技术水平。我认为就如何保持领先而言，两者非常相似——我们必须把它当作国家的首要任务。“

reddit评论：

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[–]SacTomatoes 15
Can we just steal China’s AI technology like they have been doing to America on other technology for years?

我们就不能去偷中国的AI技术么？就像他们多年以来对美国的各种科技所做的那样。

[–]shark_eat_your_face 7
Well what goes around comes around I guess.

好吧，我猜这就叫种瓜得瓜，种豆得豆。

[–]RhodesianHunter 3
The bulk of the advances in AI in the US are being open sourced. It's not stealing if it's free.

美国在AI上的大部分研发进展都是开源的。既然是免费的，就算不上偷。



[–]Azonata -1
China wants companies to partner up with a local business if they want to make money in the country. That partnership includes things like IP and technology. It has nothing to do with stealing but making sure that foreign companies also serve local interests and don't simply disappear with the profits.

中国希望的是，如果这些大公司想要在中国赚钱，就得与当地企业合作。这种合作关系就包括了分享知识产权和技术，这与偷窃无关，只是确保这些外国公司也能为当地利益服务，而不仅仅是赚了钱就跑。

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[–]TheWishfulDemoneer 14
That's pretty cool; China will be more advanced both in the AI field and the genetic engineering fields if no one tries to compete.

这多酷啊；如果没有人努力尝试和他们竞争，中国在人工智能、基因工程领域都会取得领先。

[–]Dunder_Chingis 6
Do we REALLY want someone with a track record like China to have that sort of power?

难道我们当真愿意看到像中国这样记录不良的国家，拥有如此实力吗？

[–]nomad_cz 10
Nothing you can do about it I am afraid.

恐怕你对此也无能为力。

[–]griffdog82 12
The US could totally do what it did nuclear, heavily invest in the technology. We have a few advantages , like more freedoms for researchers.
https://www.belfercenter.org/sit ... %20final.pdf#page79

美国完全可以像曾经在核技术上所做的那样，大量投资于这项技术。我们还是有一些优势的，比如说研究人员的自由度。
https://www.belfercenter.org/sit ... %20final.pdf#page79

[–]illithid66 2
Too bad we lost our balls decades ago

但很可惜，这样的胆识我们几十年前就失去了。

[–]nomad_cz -2
You do realise USA is in horrible debt and China owns a lot of it, don't you ? Also it would require cooperation between government and private sectors which is very unlikely in USA. In another words I think China will become AI/technological super power in 10 years or so.

你应该知道美国现在是债务缠身吧？而中国拥有其中的很大一部分。还有，这样做需要政府和私人部门间的密切配合，在美国这是不太可能的。换句话说，我认为中国将在10年左右的时间里，成为AI/科技领域的超级大国。

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[–]proofofvitalik -1
Meanwhile we have 76% of "AI pro-regulation" broad audience. That's how we gonna fail, like we usually do, when tending to sympathize to random left ideas

与此同时我们却有76%的人支持“加强AI监管”。这就是我们为什么会失败的原因，和往常一样，我们总是倾向于同情混乱的左派理想主义。



[–]ferb2 1
I agree what I mean is while AI may be important if we don't focus on AI Safety and Alignment than it will destroy us in some manner or at least put us in conditions humans view as sub-optimal.

我同意，我的意思是，如果我们不重视AI的安全性和协调管理，那么AI很可能会以某种方式毁灭我们，或至少将人类置于在我们看来十分不利的境地。

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[–]a4mula -1
CHINESE ENEMY INCOMING ALERT
More Scare Tactics painting the Chinese as our enemies...
https://academyofideas.com/2015/11/fear-and-social-control/
We should be applauding ANY effort to advance technology, regardless of its source.

“警报！警报！敌人中国正向我们发起攻击！”
越来越多的恐吓战术正在把中国刻画成我们的敌人……
https://academyofideas.com/2015/11/fear-and-social-control/
我们应该欢迎任何推动科技进步的努力，不管它来自何处。

[–]bhartsb 10
China is not an enemy but it is the competition. It potentially could be an enemy in the future, but hopefully that won't be the case.

中国不是敌人，但她的确是我们的竞争对手。而且她有成为我们未来敌人的潜在可能，但希望这不会发生。



--------------------5--------------------

[–]brennanfee
I haven't seen anything like it.
In your lifetime perhaps. The US has done things like that multiple times. Of course, we can't even collectively tie our shoes now... but still, there was a time when we were one country and could do great big things.

“我还从没见过这样的场景”
只是在你的一生里可能没有。美国曾经不止一次做到过这些。当然，我们现在连系个鞋带都困难。但是，曾经的我们是一个能做成了不起的大事情的国家。

[–]Kalaith 5
It was interesting being in China recently and seeing the whole government/business/university working for one vision

我最近访问中国的经历很有趣，能看到他们整个政府/企业/高校为了同一个愿景共同努力。

[–]CledusBeefpile 2
I think the claim is a little dubious. China has a flimsy record of beating us in innovations and achievements. Of course, that’s not to say it isn’t true. Just seems a little bizarre.

我认为这个说法有点可疑。在创新成就上击败我们？中国并没有什么拿得出手的纪录。当然，这并不代表文章所说就不是事实。只是似乎有点不靠谱。

[–]ProfessionalGoogler 1
Coming in late to this. I agree entirely. I was recently at a top AI conference (in Europe) where over 50% of the papers were from Asia, 46% of which were from China. The next edition of the conference is in China, so I wouldn't be surprised if that number increased. Although China is becoming a leader in AI, I'm not sure the same can be said for other fields. So could it just be the case of having a focus on one research area while neglecting the rest?

来晚了。我完全同意。最近我刚参加了一个高级别AI研讨会（在欧洲），其中超过50%的论文来自亚洲，当中又有46%来自中国。研讨会的下一会期将在中国举行，所以如果这个数字变得更高，我一点也不会意外。然而尽管中国正在成为AI领域的领军者，但我不确定在其它领域是否也可以这么说。所以，这是否可以看成是一个聚焦于某一研究方向而忽略了其他领域的案例？

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[–]victor_knight -6
This is nonsense. If the US were to cut off education opportunities for Chinese students, they'd be left in the dust. They (and all non-Western nations) are incapable of properly educating their people. This is why they are tumbling over each other and spending hundreds of billions educating their students in the West. It's pretty much been like this for over 100 years already. It's just the reality.

胡说八道而已。一旦美国切断中国学生的受教育机会，会被“甩在身后”的只能是他们（吐槽文章标题）。中国（以及所有非西方国家）完全没有能力为自己的人民提供良好的教育。这就是为什么他们你争我抢，花费数千亿美元把学生送到西方接受教育的原因。这一现象已经持续超过1百年了。现实就是如此。

[–]yazalama 7
Actually its just delusional arrogance

你这不过是妄自尊大而已。

[–]CrimsonBolt33 3
Uhhhh...you have a strange world view...very American....

呃……你的世界观还真是奇特……典型的美国人……

[–]victor_knight -1
It's the truth. If non-Westerners could properly educate themselves, they wouldn't be wasting hundreds of billions of dollars (in some cases spending their life savings, selling their house etc.) just to study in the West. It's 2018, by the way, and they're still coming (in larger and larger numbers, in fact).

这是事实。如果非西方国家能为本国提供良好的教育，他们就不会仅仅为了在西方学习浪费数千亿美元（在某些情况下，他们甚至花费毕生积蓄、出售房产等）。顺便提醒你，现在已经是2018年了，他们还在不断涌进了（事实上数量还越来越多）。



[–]victor_knight 1
No one is forcing anyone to study in the USA and pay for anything yet everyone seems to be dying to get in, often regardless of the cost. Conclude what you will from that. I rest my case.

没有任何人被强迫着到美国来学习、支付任何费用，然而似乎每个人都渴望来美国，而且常常是不计成本的。对此你想怎么说就怎么说吧。我的话就说到这了。

[–]TangerineNightmares 4
"544,500 Chinese students studied abroad in 2016"
"2016-17...The number of U.S. youths studying abroad has more than tripled over the past two decades, to 325,339 students this year,"
Considering the comparative size of each countries population it's not hard to see as a %, more US student can't get a good education in their own country.

“2016年，在海外就学的中国学生人数为544500人”
“美国青年海外求学人数在过去20年间增长了两倍多……在2016～17年，达到了325339人”
考虑到两国人口的相对规模，不难看出，按人口比例计算，“不能在本国获得良好教育”的美国学生似乎还要多些。