Reform’s rise speaks to a deep crisis in Establishment parties – but relies on appealing to social and economic grievances the left should make its own, argues NICK WRIGHT
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

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.
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