The Contemporary China Studies Program’s fifth China's Grand Strategy lecturer, Andy Mok, left nobody disappointed in his comprehensive lecture on Artificial Intelligence. Andy Mok is a generational symbol himself: his parents moved from China to America where he grew up, and is now in China reporting on the relatively unreported subject of China’s huge successes in AI advancements.
Professor Mok took a personable approach to his lecture as he embraced his audience’s academic interests before launching into a highly insightful lecture on ‘China and the future of AI’. His three main messages were clear from start to finish; China’s Party State’s control permeates through vast sectors of society, the obliviousness to the speed of AI developments and how China are at the forefront of these developments.
The starting point of the 19th Party Congress allowed Professor Mok to illustrate the Party State is developing a ‘central nervous system’ which allows The Party to respond effectively to opportunities, developments and threats domestically and globally. He appropriately makes metaphors of a major system upgrade to improve the functionality of the state. Said functionality will allow for dynamic goals in Artificial Intelligence to be focused as China aims to become a technology leader. As Professor Mok deconstructed the capabilities in Artificial Intelligence in past, present and future and its practical usage, the audience could digest the depth of Artificial Intelligence today and its potential for the future.
Finally, Professor Mok demonstrated the China is most certainly a leading player for Artificial Intelligence and will continue to be so as its might in supercomputers is unrivaled. Professor Mok’s lecture was evidently thought provoking as he enjoyed a number of enthusiastic questions that led to further discussion, we are thankful that someone as well decorated as Andy Mok was able to share his insights with us.
