China’s AI Spending Difficult to Compare, Harder to Assess, Report Says

Visitors look at artificial-intelligence security cameras using facial recognition technology at the 14th China International Exhibition on Public Safety and Security at the China International Exhibition Center in Beijing on Oct. 24, 2018. Nicolas Asfouri/AFP/Getty Images

As China pursues its ambition to lead the world in artificial intelligence (AI), it also broadcasts its financial commitments to funding large projects that support AI development.

Western analysts attempting to gauge and compare China’s AI spending versus spending in the United States, however, run up against barriers to the analysis, an Institute of Defense Analyses (IDA) report concludes.