AI and the contest of the century

The arrival of Artificial Intelligence (AI), robotics and new technology has been heralded as a game-changer.

- ANDREW SHENG

But how will it unfold, and who will be able to take advantage of AI to win the Contest of the Century, US, China or some other country?

Writing in Foreign Affairs (November 2023), James Manyika and Nobel Laureate economist Michael Spence argued that "by the beginning of the next decade, the shift to AI could become a leading driver of global prosperity." These gains would come from not just the rapid advances in AI in creating new content and application in daily life, but also its rapid spread through the democratization of innovation.

But for it to happen, "not only a new policy framework but also a new mindset toward artificial intelligence (will be needed). Ultimately, AI technologies must be embraced as tools that can enhance, rather than undermine, human potential and ingenuity." I think the AI revolution has arrived faster than expected.

So far, it looks like the US and China are pushing AI and other tech to the full in what looks increasingly like a two-horse race, with the others still struggling to catch up for reasons of their own. My thesis is that no country can afford not to push on AI to enhance AI adoption, to enhance national productivity, and to avoid the AI digital knowledge divide. Those who do not will become marginalized.

The Contest of the Century is not just between the two largest economic powerhouses, but between all countries. In this cut-throat race, with big tech seeking to dominate the "pay-by-subscription" game, we may end up being mentally and financially colonized in different tech domains. This is where the Global South can innovate its way through open-access systems that meet individual or local needs without giving away valuable data because it chose to follow one algorithm platform, becoming locked into "pay for upgrade" contracts or developing your own models and platforms that meet your own local needs. AI can free you or enslave you.