China’s AI Set to Overtake U.S. in Adoption Despite Lag in Technology, Says Former Google China President
Chinese AI models currently lag about six months behind those in the United States, but they may soon surpass U.S. counterparts in terms of adoption, according to Kai-Fu Lee, former president of Google China.
While Chinese models overall are approximately 15 months behind U.S. technology, the country’s leading large language models (LLMs) trail by only six to nine months, Lee remarked during the AVCJ Private Equity Forum in China, as reported by CNBC on September 11.
Lee, who founded the AI startup 01.AI and venture capital firm Sinovation Ventures, also emphasized that Chinese AI applications could soon outpace their U.S. rivals. He noted that the cost of training AI models has dropped significantly in recent months, making large-scale AI adoption more feasible.
China’s AI Adoption Set to Surge
“I expect that by early next year, AI applications will proliferate much faster in China than in the U.S.,” Lee predicted, though he remained uncertain whether this growth would be driven by smaller startups or major corporations.
He also forecasted that it could take five to eight years for generative AI technology to reach the level of a “super app”—an all-encompassing platform that performs a wide variety of tasks.
AI Requires New Devices
Lee highlighted that current smartphones would be insufficient to meet the demands of AI, calling for the development of entirely new devices. “The right device should be always on, always listening,” he suggested.
These remarks follow the launch of an AI-powered wearable in July called the “Friend” necklace, a virtual companion device that constantly listens to its wearer.
China’s AI sector has garnered significant attention from leading tech companies, much like the U.S. Giants such as Alibaba and Tencent have not only developed their own AI models but are also investing heavily in AI startups.
In September of last year, Tencent introduced its own large language model, “Hunyuan,” which is considered the company’s response to OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Since then, Hunyuan has been integrated across Tencent’s various divisions, including cloud computing, marketing, and gaming.
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