A new study by SAS and Coleman Parkes Research shows that China is the world leader in both using and investing in generative artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The survey, which asked 1,600 decision-makers from around the world’s different businesses, gave us important information about how AI is being used and adopted right now.
The survey, which came out on July 9, showed that a strong 83% of Chinese respondents said they were regularly using generative AI technologies in their work. This country had a higher adoption rate than other major economies, such as the UK, where 70% of respondents said they used generative AI, and the US, which is a leader in AI development but only has a 65% adoption rate.
China’s Generative AI Leadership and Implementation Challenges
Stephen Saw, Managing Director at Coleman Parkes Research, said, “Even though China has the highest adoption rates, effective implementation and returns remain major challenges.” The US was the first country to fully use creative AI, with a 24% share. China came in second with 19%, and the UK came in third with 11%.
Bryan Harris, Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer at SAS, talked about how AI usage happens over time. “Every new technology goes through a discovery phase where organizations must navigate between hype and practical application,” Harris said.
“As we exit the hype cycle, it is now about purposefully implementing and delivering repeatable and trusted business results from GenAI.”
China has many good points, but it also has many problems. A significant limitation is that it can’t use important tools that were made or owned by American companies. Nvidia owns technologies like high-power microchip chips that make it hard for China to reach its AI goals.
China still wants to make AI better, that much is clear. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) said that China had the most creative AI-based ideas. China put in for more than 38,000 titles between 2014 and 2023. At this point in time, the US only filed 6,276 patents, so this is a lot more.
Aside from getting patents, Chinese companies have also made a lot of progress in AI. Four Chinese AI startups recently became “unicorns,” which means they are each worth more than $1 billion. Also, China has added generative AI to common apps like AliPay, which supposedly makes features like face recognition better and can even tell when a user is losing their hair.
China has made some bold moves and smart investments that show it will have a significant effect on the future of AI technology around the world. However, China is still learning how to use and adopt AI.
Based on the poll, China has the highest rate of usage. Generative AI has the power to change everything, but getting there is still hard and requires consistent new ideas and working together strategically.
