China builds AI platform ‘Supermind’ to track researchers worldwide

Chinese authorities have established a platform to monitor groundbreaking developments in artificial intelligence (AI), eyeing global dominance as the end goal of the endeavor.

The Supermind platform is designed to keep a keen eye on the activities of AI and machine learning researchers and institutes worldwide. Supermind, backed by Chinese city Shenzen, is expected to rely on AI to automatically collate large swathes of data from every corner of the globe. Developed by Chinese academics from leading universities, the new platform boasts impressive capabilities, including housing a large repository of government papers.

A closer look into the inner workings of Supermind reveals a reliance on 300 million scientific research papers and 120 million patents. While information concerning the new platform is sparse, it appears to be decentralized in its outlook, allowing users to access its larger repository of papers and patents.

Analysts are already eyeing several use cases for the platform, ranging from providing Chinese enterprises with details of recent AI breakthroughs to offering regulators real-time AI innovation to guide rulemaking activities.

The AI-tracking platform is expected to support the Chinese government’s quest to be the leading hub for AI and other emerging technologies globally.

Officials say the new platform can serve as a talent pipeline for local technology companies seeking AI and machine learning experts. Presently, Supermind has the details of millions of AI researchers as part of its repository, which is expected to deepen its talent pool for AI innovation.

Despite the seemingly open-source nature of Supermind, there are fears that users and entities from other nations will be geo-restricted from using the platform. China and the U.S. are currently embroiled in a cold war involving AI chips, with U.S. authorities banning hardware firms from selling advanced chipsets to China.

Booming AI ecosystem

Since Chinese authorities unveiled regulations for AI, several technology companies have rolled out generative AI products for the public. The regulations, focusing on data security, copyrights, and user safety, saw over 80 AI products from technology giants like Alibaba and Baidu flood the market in under a month.

To ensure safe usage, Chinese authorities have pledged to “strike hard” on crimes involving AI and blockchain technology while eyeing uniformity with global standards.

“We have been monitoring the use of ChatGPT, cloud computing, blockchain, deep fake AI, and other new emerging technologies, new applications, and new organizations in these incidents,” Jingeng Sun, an executive at China’s Network Security Bureau, said in 2023.

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