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China’s success in AI industry is driven by its strengths and flaws

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China’s support and focus for the emerging AI industry, as well as its goal of becoming a world leader in artificial intelligence by 2030, comes from a source that the country takes very seriously — government policy. Thus, China’s possible domination of the AI sphere within the next 12 years could be the result of the nation using its strengths and weaknesses as a means to propel itself into the forefront of intelligent tech.

Kai-Fu Lee, an AI investor that helps tech startups get off the ground through his $1.8-billion dual-currency venture fund Sinovation Ventures, recently noted in a statement to WIRED that China’s goal of becoming the world leader in AI-driven solutions by 2030 is achievable because the target is literally a policy from the state. 

According to Lee, China’s government has the capability to implement policies that are followed to a fault by both the country’s citizens and its business sector. The AI investor also noted that this system is difficult to replicate in other countries trying to dominate the AI field, such as the United States, due to the West’s democracy-driven nature.

Ultimately, however, the AI investor noted that China’s biggest driver for its AI initiative might lie in the size of its population and its citizens’ willingness to trade personal privacy for convenience or safety. In the Asian country, AI companies that gather data from the populace work without much protest from consumers, and largely operate within the approval of the state. 

Just recently, an AI startup, SenseTime, received an additional $600 million in funding from investors, giving the company a total valuation of $4.5 billion. One of SenseTime’s most impressive solutions is its surveillance tech, which is being used by the security bureau of Guangzhou as a means to aid law enforcement. A screenshot of one of SenseTime’s surveillance solutions could be viewed below.  

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SenseTime’s AI surveillance solutions. [Credit: SenseTime/YouTube]

“AI is run on data as fuel and China has so much more data than any other country. Chinese users are willing to trade their personal privacy data for convenience or safety. It’s not an explicit process, but it’s a cultural element,” Lee noted.

The United States and China are currently head-to-head in the AI race. The United States has a headstart on the Asian country, but China is rapidly catching up. According to the AI investor, the most significant danger for the United States is its complacency. 

“Chinese entrepreneurs know everything about what’s happening in Silicon Valley. Silicon Valley people, a few of them know a lot about China; some of them know a little bit about China; most of them know nothing about China,” Lee said.

China is showing no signs of slowing down its AI initiatives. Earlier this year, China announced plans to construct a massive $2.1-billion tech park in Beijing. The nearly 55-hectare tech park is expected to host up to 400 businesses from various bleeding-edge technologies, including biometrics, high-speed big data, and cloud computing, and of course, artificial intelligence.

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Simon is an experienced automotive reporter with a passion for electric cars and clean energy. Fascinated by the world envisioned by Elon Musk, he hopes to make it to Mars (at least as a tourist) someday. For stories or tips--or even to just say a simple hello--send a message to his email, simon@teslarati.com or his handle on X, @ResidentSponge.

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Tesla eyes two new states for Robotaxi

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Credit: @TerrapinTerpene/X

Tesla has officially shown that it is eyeing two new states for Robotaxi operation in the U.S., as it hopes to add the new areas to its ever-growing list of places where the suite is either active or in the testing phase.

Tesla first launched its Robotaxi suite in Austin, Texas, in late June. It expanded the suite to the San Francisco Bay Area just a month later. Since then, it has not launched any public rides in any other states, but it has gained several approvals for early testing.

Tesla officially launches Robotaxi service with no driver

In preparation for operation in new states, Tesla routinely lists job postings on its Careers website, which helps align potential employees with opportunities ahead of regulatory approvals. This is a strategy that allows Tesla to start operations immediately upon licensing for testing.

Tesla started hiring Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in Arizona and Nevada months before the company gained any sort of approvals from state governments for Robotaxi. However, those approvals eventually came in the form of testing licenses, which allow the company to perform validation ahead of its public launch.

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Tesla begins validating Robotaxi in a new area, hinting at expansion

Now, Tesla has posted job listings for Vehicle Operators for Autopilot in two new states: Colorado and Illinois. The Colorado job listing is located in Aurora, a suburb of Denver. Tesla is looking for Robotaxi operators in Chicago as well.

These postings hint toward Tesla’s continuing efforts to expand Robotaxi to new places. Earlier this year, CEO Elon Musk said the company would like to have Robotaxi available to at least half of the U.S. population.

It has expanded significantly since its initial launch in late June, but it is still a far way off from where Tesla would like it to be by year’s end.

So far, Tesla has job listings for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in Arizona, California, Texas, Florida, Colorado, Nevada, and Illinois.

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Tesla launched an ad for Elon Musk’s pay package on Paramount+

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s advertising strategy has taken a drastic turn as the company’s upcoming Shareholder Meeting will feature perhaps the most crucial vote in its history: the approval of CEO Elon Musk’s new pay package.

For years, the issue of Tesla’s advertising and marketing strategy has been a major point of conversation for investors in fans. It seems to be split right down the middle, with half wanting Tesla to set aside some money for advertising. The other half, just the opposite.

Tesla has been transparent that the money it would spend on advertising, marketing, and public relations is better set aside for the development of future products.

However, it has recently adopted a different tone in advertising, pushing some commercials on social media platforms like X and Instagram.

For the first time, an ad was seen on streaming services like Paramount+, but it wasn’t promoting Tesla’s products directly. Instead, it was more of a message for shareholders to vote on Musk’s pay package, something Tesla feels is a necessity:

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“The future of Tesla is in your hands,” the ad reads at the end. It seems as if Tesla is taking whatever steps it needs to accomplish the task of getting Musk a new pay package and retaining him as its CEO.

On September 5, Tesla officially outlined its plans for a CEO Performance Award for Musk. It would require him to lift Tesla’s market capitalization to about $8.5 trillion, up from the $1.36 trillion it sits at today.

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Elon Musk’s new pay plan ties trillionaire status to Tesla’s $8.5 trillion valuation

It is obvious that Tesla is really hoping to get the pay package passed and is willing to shift some of its budget to encourage shareholders to vote.

However, there are some interesting perspectives on the move, and it’s sort of strange to see Tesla not advertising its vehicles or products, but only its pay package that would get its CEO paid.

Some of those who saw the ad are questioning the strategy:

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Tesla Robotaxi testing in Arizona is ramping up quickly

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla is validating Robotaxi in a new area, and as the company has continued to gain some additional permissions to begin testing in new states, it seems its Full Self-Driving-based ride-hailing project is moving toward a larger footprint.

Two Robotaxi units with LiDAR validation equipment were spotted in Gilbert, Arizona, recently, showing that Tesla is aiming to launch its ride-hailing service in the state soon:

Another unit was spotted in Tempe, Arizona:

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These types of validation vehicles have been spotted in several areas ahead of their launch as a public ride-hailing service for passengers. Tesla first launched Robotaxi in Austin, Texas, back in late June, and since then, it has expanded to the Bay Area of California.

However, Tesla has continued to attempt to expand Robotaxi to other areas as well, including Nevada and Arizona. It has also been working toward approvals in other states based on job postings, as Tesla is hiring for Autopilot Vehicle Operators in New York and Florida, as well.

The expansion of the Robotaxi ride-hailing service has been an effort that Tesla has been spending a lot of time on over the past few months. CEO Elon Musk said the expansion aims to bring Robotaxi to at least half of the U.S. population by the end of the year, but there is still plenty of work to be done.

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Tesla Robotaxi heads to a new major Texas city for the first time

Tesla did make its Robotaxi app public in recent months, allowing more members of the public to experience the suite for themselves, as long as they could get to Austin or the Bay Area.

In the coming months, it seems more apparent that Tesla will take a broader focus on expanding Robotaxi, especially with the fact that these validation vehicles are being spotted throughout different parts of the United States.

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