When people hear about Artificial intelligence their minds immediately shift to intelligent robots performing human tasks. Although that is not far from the truth, artificial intelligence is far wide than we think. It is no longer fixated on robots but a number of other areas. Artificial intelligence can simply and fully be described as any machine with the ability to emulate human intelligence. What artificial intelligence has done for us up to this point is simply remarkable. Economies like the USA and China who have heavily invested in AI have been soaring to greater heights technologically, decade after decade. Soon a vast number of jobs done by human beings will be replaced by machines. Now the big question is; who will lead in the age of artificial intelligence?

The economy that will lead in the age of artificial intelligence is one that is in the forefront in creating, adopting and investing in new technologies. According to research, USA and China are the two economies heavily investing in AI. So that makes them potential candidates in the artificial intelligence industry.

China and AI development

The Chinese president Xi Jinping has made some major strides in the field of AI. In fact, he and his government have hatched a groundbreaking plan to collaborate with businesses in order to make China the world’s top and primary innovation center by the year 2030. The vision is already underway and the fact the Xi Jinping may be in power for a very long time reduces any disruption to the plan. This therefore gives china an age in the race as USA’s leadership may not be as stable during the period.

China has also incorporated some of their biggest companies into this ambitious plan for example the likes of Baidu, Alibaba and Tencet. These companies are very popular not only in China but also the rest of the world. These three companies have some headquarters in USA, in areas such as Seattle and San Francisco. Technological mergers and acquisitions worth billions have also been happening in China and this will further boost their plan and bring it to fruition. Some of the areas China thrives in include; Creation of computers, electronics, telecommunication technology, infrastructure, manufacturing, robotics and autonomous vehicles.

USA and AI development

USA has also not been left behind in terms of AI research and development. They have made some major investments in the field especially in terms of research. The National Science Fund for example, does an annual investment of more than $100 million in Artificial intelligence research. Moreover, in 2018 The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency commonly known as DARPA announced that they would be developing the next wave of technology by investing $2 billion in programs known as “AI next”. This was an ambitious investment but with the expertise of DARPA it is certain to bear fruits with time. USA is also home to some very popular technological companies such as Microsoft, Apple, Google, Amazon and Facebook. These companies have spread far and wide and are known all over the world. Some of them for example Google, Apple and Microsoft have invested heavily in artificial intelligence research and development.

Problems limiting USA’s AI push

USA leads the west in terms of AI development but there are some problems that limit their progress. Some of them include;

• Weak national leadership.
• Lack of unity between the private and public sectors.
• Lack of a clear and united vision. Although the US has its own vision on AI development, it is not as clear and well-structured as that of China. China’s vision is led by the state and hence the state creates a suitable environment for other technological companies to strive.

Conclusion

There are a number of issues a country needs to look into in order to be the leader in the age of artificial intelligence. One important thing is to develop a united goal. Although ideas may be diverse, they should lead the entire economy towards a common goal. Countries also need to consider the fact that some industries may need to let go of a number of workers in order to incorporate the use of artificial intelligence such as robots. A plan should be created to help these people in such a scenario to avoid instability in the country which may reduce their technological development. China and USA might be in the forefront in AI research and development but it is difficult to predict who will ultimately lead in the future. We can however suggest investing in artificial intelligence stocks because the world is changing and with China’s vision 2030 push and major AI investments by the US, it may be a great investment.