Artificial intelligence: how China reacts to a technology bound to boom
In China we are embracing AI, and have already accepted society must be organised for when, not if, AI surpasses the capabilities of human labour, explains LIU JIAXIN
The welcome news that Cuba has finally been removed from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list is tempered by the fact that Donald Trump, the man who put it there, is returning to the White House, warns NATASHA HICKMAN
Thanks to impressive progress in Britain with wind and solar generation, clean electricity now costs a fraction of the price of gas — yet the current system keeps bills artificially high to protect fossil fuels, writes TOM HARDY
By spreading race-based conspiracy theories, the billionaire tycoon turned right-wing provocateur has been seriously undermining the case against those who really did let victims of the grooming gangs down, writes SOLOMON HUGHES
Many Western countries are grappling with deep political instability. What are the causes of this, and what could be a possible way forward? asks MARC VANDEPITTE
KEITH BENNETT explains why, despite its present meagre economic outcomes, an honest and fruitful partnership with China is worth pursuing
Nick Wright talks to photographer and author JANINA STRUK
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) is rewriting modern Chinese lives in every way it can. Glazers in ceramic factories of southern China’s Yunnan Province were replaced by robots that were three times more efficient at spraying glazes. The latter did not suffer from pneumoconiosis and could work 24 hours a day.
A TV station in Beijing quickly found some tools to liberate the anchors. It only takes a few minutes to generate an anchor’s own avatar, which can “broadcast” in different accents, different languages 24/7.
Industry insiders believe that algorithms are learning and surpassing human intelligence. It’s not a question of whether AI can replace human labour, but by how much — and whether sooner or later.
More from this author
ROS SITWELL reports from a conference held in light of the closure of the Gender Identity and Development Service for children and young people, which explored what went wrong at the service and the evidence base for care
ROS SITWELL reports from the three-day FiLiA conference in Glasgow
ROS SITWELL reports on a communist-initiated event aimed at building unity amid a revived women’s movement
London conference hears women speak out on the consequences of self-ID in sport
Similar stories
After the recent writers' and actors' strikes, the bosses in film and TV are embracing the cost-cutting potential of AI even faster than before — barely acknowledging that what they will be cutting is livelihoods, writes DENNIS BROE
The increased efficiency of any aspect of capitalism will not automatically lead to its collapse and transformation — avoiding the dangers and realising the potential of AI will involve struggle, argues the MARX MEMORIAL LIBRARY
The impact of AI depends on who controls it and for what purpose, argues the Marx Memorial Library
JAMES WALSH is appalled by the implications of introducing AI to the workplace