China’s Platform State and the AI Race by Angela Huyue Zhang
Balancing regulation with innovation is never easy, and the Chinese government’s robust support for AI could lead to inefficiency and excess. But the “platform state” model, combined with other strengths, has enabled China to achieve dominance in multiple strategic sectors, while enhancing its resilience.
Project Syndicate: When it comes to regulating major tech firms, China has made its share of mistakes, allowing companies like Alibaba and Tencent to grow very large and unruly before scrambling to rein them in. Have regulators so far struck a better balance with AI?
Angela Huyue Zhang: Striking the right balance between regulation and innovation is always challenging. Given the strong policy signal from China’s government that AI development is a national priority, we could be in for a repeat of the same regulatory pattern seen during the early days of the consumer internet: a light-touch approach, which gives companies considerable room to experiment and grow.
