Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a potentially transformative force in the Chinese economy, reshaping industries, driving innovation, and fueling economic growth. Over the past decade, China has strategically invested in AI research and development, positioning itself as a global leader in this cutting-edge technology. This rapid advancement in AI has had far-reaching effects on various sectors creating both challenges and opportunities for a struggling Chinese economy.

In the webinar series, “U.S.-China Generative AI Competition,” presented by the Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis (CCA), CCA Honorary Junior Fellow Lizzi C. Lee talks to top experts from academia, industry, and policy to gain their insights on China’s AI advancements, the challenges posed by AI adoption, and the opportunities it presents to both China and the world.

Join us for the second online panel discussion in the series on Wednesday, September 27, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. ET to discuss the influence of AI on the Chinese economy. What are the challenges and opportunities AI presents in the Chinese context? What is its broad impact across various sectors, from education and healthcare to security and military advancements? And what will be required in terms of workforce reskilling? The panel will also address ethical and data security concerns intrinsic to the AI revolution. 

To tackle these questions and more, Lizzi C. Lee speaks with Nigel Inkster, Director of Geopolitical and Intelligence Analysis at Enodo Economics; Caiwei Chen, China Reporter at Rest of World; and Michael Frank, Senior Fellow at the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS); and Elsa B. Kania, Adjunct Senior Fellow, Center for a New American Security.  

To watch the first webinar in the series on China's Generative AI and AI Technology Landscape please visit Asia Society’s YouTube page.

SPEAKERS

Caiwei Chen is a Rest of World reporter based in New York. She has been published in Wired, Rolling Stone, Protocol, Technode, The China Project and other publications. She was also part of Chaoyang Trap, an experimental newsletter about the Chinese internet.

Michael Frank is a Senior Fellow in the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He is a political and economic analyst with a decade of experience in Asia. His current research focuses on the intersection of geopolitics and advanced technologies. Frank previously led the Economist Intelligence Unit's (EIU) Asia technology policy research, where he pioneered applications of machine learning to the firm's traditional strengths in macroeconomic and geopolitical research and analysis. Before the EIU, he worked in the government relations department at the American Chamber of Commerce (Amcham) in Shanghai. He has also served in the leadership of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong as vice chair for financial services.

Nigel Inkster is the Director of Geopolitical and Intelligence Analysis at Enodo Economics. Nigel Inkster has more than 40 years of experience as a geopolitical and intelligence practitioner and analyst. He worked for the British Secret Intelligence Service for 31 years, specializing in China. He retired in 2006 as assistant chief and head of operations and intelligence. He worked for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, a London think tank, from 2007 to 2017, and has been with Enodo Economics since 2017. In 2016, Nigel authored China’s Cyber Power, an IISS Adelphi book published by Routledge, and The Great Decoupling, published by Hurst in 2020. In May 2023, Hurst published a revised edition of the book.

Elsa B. Kania is an Adjunct Senior Fellow with the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS). Her research focuses on Chinese military strategy, military innovation, and emerging technologies.

Lizzi C. Lee (moderator) is an Honorary Junior Fellow on the Chinese Economy at the Asia Society Policy Institute’s (ASPI) Center for China Analysis (CCA). Lizzi is an economist turned journalist. She graduated from MIT’s Ph.D. program in Economics before joining the New York-based independent Chinese media outlet Wall St TV. She is currently the host of "The Signal Live with Lizzi Lee" powered by The China Project, where she interviews the most knowledgeable minds on China for analysis of the ever-evolving business and technology ecosystem.