Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
1–10 of 88 posts
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#2When we'll look back 20 years from now, we'll we see Google in the same light as we did IBM after helping the Nazi with their computers?
Will Google allow its DeepMind technology to be used to spy on Chinese citizens and dissidents?
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#3When we'll look back 20 years from now, we'll we see Google in the same light as we did IBM after helping the Nazi with their computers? Will Google allow its DeepMind technology to be used to spy on Chinese citizens and dissidents?
That was exactly my thought, and I do already see them in a similar light.
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#4When google initially entered the Chinese market more than a decade ago, it offered a censored version of google search conformed to the censorship requirements set by the Chinese government. It argued that the most ethical option was to offer some restricted services to Chinese rather than leave hundreds of millions of Chinese Internet users with limited access to information [1]. Basically it argued that Chinese need google (and other American internet companies) to avoid being left behind in the Internet age.
Interestingly, 7 years after its quit from the Chinese market, the Internet sector in China is booming with 4 out of world's top 10 Internet companies being Chinese companies [2]. Now they are setting up this AI centre, surely that is to help Chinese avoid being left behind in the AI age again.
We will see. ;)
[1] https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2016/01/why-g...
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_largest_Internet_compa...
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#5Please understand that we are still in the midst of a 'war for talent' as far as AI is concerned. Since getting them to the US is less likely, Google is just moving to where the talent is.
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#6Perhaps this is because I don't have the hard facts and figures right in front of me, but I have a hard time believing that foreign tech investments in China really pay off. The Chinese strategy seems to be to woo big foreign companies, build a critical mass of local users who want the product, ban or otherwise limit the foreign company's influence in China, then develop a home-grown Chinese version of the foreign company's product with state support and the newly acquired domestic talent.
If Google accomplishes anything worthwhile at this research center, won't China just shut it down and re-employ those researchers at a domestic company? Why do high-tech companies even continue to try to break into China?
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#7Perhaps this is because I don't have the hard facts and figures right in front of me, but I have a hard time believing that foreign tech investments in China really pay off. The Chinese strategy seems to be to woo big foreign companies, build a critical mass of local users who want the product, ban or otherwise limit the foreign company's influence in China, then develop a home-grown Chinese version of the foreign co…
Because talents in China are good and cheaper, look at MSRA.
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#8Please understand that we are still in the midst of a 'war for talent' as far as AI is concerned. Since getting them to the US is less likely, Google is just moving to where the talent is.
True. It is a pretty strong endorsement from Google to setup a specific research division in a country where they effectively get banned. The only logical reason is to hire talents at local price for projects outside of China. Not sure how the return would be though.
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#9When we'll look back 20 years from now, we'll we see Google in the same light as we did IBM after helping the Nazi with their computers? Will Google allow its DeepMind technology to be used to spy on Chinese citizens and dissidents?
Well a fun trivia, a research division of Chinese Policy Department(team named Trimps-Soushen), actually won top3 positions in ImageNet competition.
I think they definitely have, at least, the engineering strength to implement what crazy, SkyNet inspired system themselves, without help from Google/DeepMind ... Which is ... pretty sad, on many levels.
Re: Google to open artificial intelligence centre in China
#10When google initially entered the Chinese market more than a decade ago, it offered a censored version of google search conformed to the censorship requirements set by the Chinese government. It argued that the most ethical option was to offer some restricted services to Chinese rather than leave hundreds of millions of Chinese Internet users with limited access to information [1]. Basically it argued that Chinese ne…
I'm pretty sure that was, from the very beginning, just corporate lingo for "the profits outweigh the moral concerns". In retrospect, it was inevitable that China would develop its own Google/Facebook/Amazon through their strange neo-mercantillist economic strategy.