TL;DR:
- China is facing a shortage of software engineers in its artificial intelligence (AI) sector.
- Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA) has initiated the “Vancouver Plan” to relocate AI specialists from Beijing to its Vancouver laboratory, sparking discussions about the global AI race and China’s need to nurture more AI experts.
- Concerns have been raised about MSRA’s sharing approach and potential inadequate protection of US intellectual property.
- Chinese media suggests that Microsoft’s staff relocation reflects escalating geopolitical conflicts or a lack of self-confidence.
- China is experiencing a brain drain, as many Chinese AI talents choose to stay in the US after completing their studies.
- Reports indicate that China will face a shortage of 5.5 million AI engineers by 2025.
- Industry leaders highlight the shortage of mathematicians as a bottleneck for China’s AI sector.
- Elon Musk suggests that China lags approximately 12 months behind the US in AI development.
- Chinese chatbots are currently unable to catch up with the advanced capabilities of OpenAI’s GPT-4.
- The Chinese government is actively supporting the AI sector through various measures.
Main AI News:
China’s commitment to advancing its artificial intelligence (AI) sector faces a significant hurdle—a shortage of software engineers within the country. The implications of this scarcity have become evident in the recent moves made by Microsoft Research Asia (MSRA). As reported by the Financial Times, MSRA has initiated the “Vancouver Plan,” aiming to relocate numerous top AI specialists from Beijing to its new laboratory in Vancouver. This strategic move, which comes against the backdrop of heightened political tensions between the United States and China, has sparked discussions about the global AI race and China’s urgent need to foster a greater number of AI experts.
Notably, the shortage of AI talent has become a pressing concern, impeding Chinese progress in this field. While Elon Musk suggests that China is merely 12 months behind the US in AI, many experts hold a more pessimistic outlook. The inadequacy of skilled professionals in this domain represents a fundamental impediment to China’s advancement.
However, the publication of the original Financial Times article stirred up controversy, prompting Microsoft to respond. The tech giant clarified that there is no official initiative called the “Vancouver Plan.” Instead, Microsoft confirmed plans to establish a new lab in Vancouver, staffing it with experts from various MSR labs globally, including China. Microsoft did not disclose the accurate number of Chinese employees relocating to Canada, contrary to the initial estimates of 20-40 individuals.
MSRA, founded in 1998, spearheads research in areas crucial to Microsoft’s long-term strategy, encompassing natural user interfaces, AI, cloud and edge computing, big data and knowledge mining, computer science fundamentals, intelligent multimedia, and computational science. However, concerns have been raised about MSRA’s sharing approach and the potential inadequate protection of US intellectual property. These apprehensions date back several years, with allegations in 2019 that MSRA collaborated with the National University of Defense Technology (NUDR), a Chinese military-run institution, on AI research that could facilitate surveillance and censorship in Xinjiang.
The Global Times, adopting an optimistic stance, contends that the relocation of researchers from a single lab should not be seen as a threat to China’s talent development. In a recent commentary, the newspaper emphasizes China’s remarkable strides in expanding its high-tech talent pool. With its vast market and burgeoning high-tech sector, China possesses unique advantages that enable the training of local talent and attract experts from overseas. While China may not inherently possess the upper hand in attracting global talent, the containment strategy employed by the United States has fueled China’s pursuit of independent technological innovation, fostering government investments in high-tech domains.
Analysts offer different interpretations of Microsoft’s motives for staff relocation. Some speculate that Microsoft seeks to protect its top AI specialists from joining competitors in China, while others believe the move is a response to escalating geopolitical conflicts worldwide. Regardless of the underlying reasons, Microsoft’s decision to relocate its staff signifies a lack of self-confidence, according to a columnist based in Hebei.
While Microsoft’s staff relocation plan may weaken its support for China’s technology sector, it could also drive Chinese companies to intensify their efforts in cultivating and investing in local talent, notes a writer from Shandong.
The issue of brain drain has plagued China since 2019, as highlighted in a research report by MarcoPolo, a think tank associated with the Paulson Institute in Chicago. The report reveals that a significant number of Chinese AI talents choose to remain in the United States after completing their studies, creating a drain of intellectual capital. The report further states that among the top 113 AI specialists selected for oral presentations at NeurIPS 2018, all were affiliated with US institutions or were on the verge of joining them. Notably, 58% of the upper-tier Chinese researchers pursued graduate school in the US, compared to 35% in China and 7% in other countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom. Moreover, a staggering 78% of Chinese AI researchers who completed their graduate studies in the US currently work at US institutions, with a mere 21% employed by Chinese institutions.
According to a research report by Renrui Human Resources Technology, a Hong Kong-listed recruitment agency, China is predicted to face a shortage of 5.5 million AI engineers by 2025, with a projected deficit of 4.3 million by 2022. Alarming figures indicate that in 2025, only one out of 2.6 AI-related job positions will be adequately filled.
While China boasts about its AI development, some industry leaders, such as Shi Yuzhu, chairman and founder of the Giant Network Group, argue that the country’s shortage of mathematicians poses a significant bottleneck to the future growth of the AI sector. Shi highlights the critical need for computational mathematicians, as his own company has relied on AI technologies to develop online games and monitor players’ responses. In an effort to address this gap, Shi donated 50 million yuan (US$7 million) to Zhejiang University, his alma mater, encouraging the institution to nurture more AI talent.
Tesla’s Elon Musk recently asserted that China lags approximately 12 months behind the United States in AI development, adding that it remains uncertain when China will narrow this gap. Wang, a Chinese IT columnist, echoes this sentiment, noting that the US has solidified its leading position in AI over the past two years, particularly with the introduction of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Wang emphasizes that US firms possess substantial resources to construct and train their AI programs, while the English-speaking world benefits from a vast repository of English documents accumulated over the past century.
Qiu Xipeng, head of Fudan University’s research team working on MOSS, a ChatGPT-like model, acknowledges the advanced nature of OpenAI’s GPT-4, which outpaces Chinese chatbots by a significant margin. Qiu believes that Chinese chatbots will be unable to catch up in the span of a few months. Zhang Zhen, the founder of Beijing Whaty Technology, argues that any breakthroughs in AI chatbots will hinge on algorithms rather than computing power. He contends that if other companies can recruit OpenAI’s core software engineers, they could potentially catch up with GPT-3.5 within a year.
Recognizing the importance of the AI sector, the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Financial and Economic Affairs Commission, chaired by party secretary Xi Jinping, called for the bolstering of AI development in a meeting held on May 5. In response, the Beijing municipal government and other major cities in China have issued documents to support local AI firms, aiming to foster innovation and growth in this critical field.
As China grapples with the shortage of AI engineers and endeavors to narrow the technology gap, it faces formidable challenges. The nation’s efforts to cultivate local talent, attract global expertise, and invest in research and development will prove instrumental in shaping its AI future. With the right strategies and sustained commitment, China can strive to overcome these obstacles and emerge as a formidable force in the global AI landscape.
Conclusion:
The shortage of AI engineers in China poses a significant challenge to the country’s ambitions in the AI market. The relocation of AI specialists by Microsoft and the brain drain of Chinese talent to the US underscore the urgency of addressing this issue. China’s ability to cultivate and attract skilled AI professionals will be crucial for its future competitiveness. Efforts to bridge the technology gap, invest in research and development, and foster collaboration between academia and industry will be vital for China to strengthen its position in the global AI landscape.
