AI and robotics have advanced rapidly in China, with some areas reaching levels comparable to those in the United States. China is said to have been propelled into a leading position in AI and robotics by its huge data market and government-led policy initiatives, with lessons for Japan to consider.
China now has areas of AI and robotics that stand alongside those of the United States, while its industrial robot production is said to have overtaken Japan's and reached a position among the world's leaders. Visible technological advances include the development of electric vehicles and robot dogs.
At the same time, it has been pointed out that Japan accounted for more than half of the top 20 companies by AI-related patent applications until around 2010, while the emergence of deep learning is said to have accelerated China's progress. Emphasis is placed on China's vast domestic market and its environment for collecting large volumes of data.
China regarded Made in China 2025, launched in 2015, as a turning point. The plan identified 10 priority sectors and sought to establish China as a global manufacturing power over 10 years. In response to US tariffs and the trade war, China accelerated the domestic production of components and materials, and there have been instances in which relevant institutions and indicators have assessed the targets as having been achieved.
Going forward, policies have been put forward to pursue economic growth through innovation while addressing population decline under the successor concept of new quality productive forces. Further efforts are expected in areas such as the development of humanoid robots equipped with AI. Points Japan should learn from China include the emphasis on demonstration projects using regulatory easing and long-term industry-academia-government collaboration.