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Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

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Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#51
post #46
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China lacks democracy, routinely "disapears" its own promenant people, censors the internet and has the death penatly for the purpose of organ harvesting for the rich[1]. In what way is China not already run by a dystopian regime? [1] https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/the...

If you propagandize one side like that, of course it looks dystopian. You could do the same exact thing for pretty much any state, country or bloc. > In what way is China not already run by a dystopian regime? How about the fact that they lifted 800 million people? Or the fact that they increased literacy rates from 20% before they came in power to nearly 100% today? Using your logic, everything is always dystopian b…

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Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#52
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not just China. At my German university all courses related to AI/ML/data mining/stats are oversubscribed by a factor of 2 to 5. One professor went so far as to stress that he didn't have any experience with deep learning and he'd only cover Bayesian statistics in order to discourage students. I don't think it worked. I'm pretty sure that there's a similar surge of interest in all countries.

I could be quite wrong but wouldn’t a course in Bayesian statistics be a lot more useful for someone interested in inference or however you will say it?

It would certainly be useful. I'm interviewing a lot of people for ML roles, and I've noticed a new group of "deep learning only" people coming out of colleges. They know their DL, but have no exposure to what I guess we're calling "traditional ML". Since DL isn't appropriate for all problems, they don't have the skills we want.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#53
post #31
post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This has nothing to do with Deutsche Physik but it fits the narrative of some people to associate China with Nazi Germany or any other dystopian regime.

The connection between China and "dystopian regimes" seems pretty clear to me. The biggest difference is that the Nazis and the Soviets could only dream of the tools the Chinese already have and will have, though the Soviets definitely proved that even without tech you could get yourself a pretty solidly oppressive police state going. Only time can tell if the result will be a state that explodes even more quickly du…

China will explode, there will be a big riot and it'll split into multiple "democratic"(and in fact, oligarchy)states which are not united at all, after millions died. At that time, US media just won't care about Chinese people at all and celebrate "democracy wins again!".

Rest assured, China's history told us even that were to happen, within 50 years some dictator-like leader(Hint: last guy is Mao) will rise abruptly leading her 500+ million rural population in poverty and unit the land again.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is lots of money to be made riding the CCP’s hyped priorities, just not by the VCs outside of China. YC has a China branch.

I wonder why we don't see a backlash against companies investing in China like we see against companies taking Saudi money?

> I wonder why we don't see a backlash against companies investing in China like we see against companies taking Saudi money?

It's a little, like the reaction against Google's project Dragonfly. However, it'd be much harder to sustain: it seems like nearly every Western company is investing in China or chasing customers there, so it's hard to single a few out for protest. You'd have to protest against all of them.

The Saudis aren't nearly so ubiquitous, so they're easier to reject.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#55
post #46
post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

China lacks democracy, routinely "disapears" its own promenant people, censors the internet and has the death penatly for the purpose of organ harvesting for the rich[1]. In what way is China not already run by a dystopian regime? [1] https://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/real-life/true-stories/the...

If you propagandize one side like that, of course it looks dystopian. You could do the same exact thing for pretty much any state, country or bloc. > In what way is China not already run by a dystopian regime? How about the fact that they lifted 800 million people? Or the fact that they increased literacy rates from 20% before they came in power to nearly 100% today? Using your logic, everything is always dystopian b…

It's not properganda if it's true, it's just news.

I'm sorry but the ends do not justify the means.

Whilst all countries have positives and negatives any country where you can't publically ridicule the ruling elite is dystopian. Every single one.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#56
post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

We’ve been here before with Japan in the 80s, and it led to an extended 2nd AI winter. China’s efforts are much larger than Japan’s were, and they have a bigger housing bubble to go along with that to boot. It is interesting to see how history repeats itself.

AI actually makes money now. There will be no more AI winters as it can now support its own development without patronage.

AI made money before.

All it takes for an AI winter to happen is for the hype to go way beyond the reality, the AI doesn’t have to not make money, it just has to make not enough money as expected. It is very much like a housing crash: the houses are still useful to live in, just that their value is not as high as expected.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#57

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is lots of money to be made riding the CCP’s hyped priorities, just not by the VCs outside of China. YC has a China branch.

I wonder why we don't see a backlash against companies investing in China like we see against companies taking Saudi money?

China HAS the money to invest itself much like the Saudi’s do. Chinese VC money chasing Chinese investment opportunities is obviously not going to create a backlash. I suspect even YC China is setup to support Chinese VCs rather than to inject American VC into China, but I have no documentation to back up that hunch.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#58
post #55
post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you propagandize one side like that, of course it looks dystopian. You could do the same exact thing for pretty much any state, country or bloc. > In what way is China not already run by a dystopian regime? How about the fact that they lifted 800 million people? Or the fact that they increased literacy rates from 20% before they came in power to nearly 100% today? Using your logic, everything is always dystopian b…

It's not properganda if it's true, it's just news. I'm sorry but the ends do not justify the means. Whilst all countries have positives and negatives any country where you can't publically ridicule the ruling elite is dystopian. Every single one.

'if'

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#59
post #20
post #9

I think China will create an AI bubble, currently studying in Beijing and all EE and CS students I know focus all their time at either stats, ML or data mining. While I think China might have a big shot at the AI race, I don't think it's useful to have to only focus on AI because it's hot right now, they may lack progress in other fundamental fields that may lead to more important breakthrough and technological chang…

It's not just China. At my German university all courses related to AI/ML/data mining/stats are oversubscribed by a factor of 2 to 5. One professor went so far as to stress that he didn't have any experience with deep learning and he'd only cover Bayesian statistics in order to discourage students. I don't think it worked. I'm pretty sure that there's a similar surge of interest in all countries.

Those students will be awfully disappointed when they graduate and discover that most commercial software development work involves just shuffling bits around with no AI in sight.

Re: Xi Jinping urges China to use artificial intelligence in race for tech future

#60

If you look at recent news and HN discussions, you'd be seeing some interesting patterns - 1. Tesla building its factory in Shanghai, China - "forced tech transfer, IP theft" 2. Xi pushes for AI, "it will be used for monitoring of lives of everybody" 3. 4 out of the top 10 biggest internet companies are in China - "censorship, repression, GFW" I am wondering whether keeping 1.4 billion Chinese living with stone age t…

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