China's AI Army Doubles Learning Speed Every 3 Months as US Firms Rush to Buy Chinese Tech
China’s artificial intelligence is evolving at a blistering pace, with new research showing AI agents doubling their learning speed every three months, while American companies are now turning to Chinese AI tools in droves after US export bans backfired.
Researchers at ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, have discovered a new scaling law that could extend the AI boom. In a paper published Thursday, ByteDance’s Seed AI team found that AI agents—autonomous software that performs tasks for humans—can double their learning speed every three months by interacting with the real world [188684]. This breakthrough comes as traditional methods for improving AI performance are hitting a wall.
Meanwhile, American businesses have sharply increased their use of Chinese artificial intelligence tools since the United States imposed export restrictions on advanced AI chips from the company Mythos. According to industry reports, the number of US companies using Chinese AI platforms has risen by over 40% in the past six months [190715]. These tools often offer lower costs and easier access than their American counterparts. The trend highlights a key challenge of the export controls: while they limit hardware sales, Chinese software and AI services remain widely available.
China’s approach to AI is fundamentally different from the West. Western AI often works like a detailed map, needing clear rules and exact data. Chinese AI works more like a compass, giving a general direction and adapting to changes [190817]. This approach helps China move faster in real-world uses, from factories adjusting quickly to cities managing traffic without waiting for perfect data.
Hong Kong is now betting big on this technology. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said AI is the “central plank” of Hong Kong’s development strategy, with the city’s first five-year blueprint and an upcoming policy address guiding this shift [190756]. Lee argued that Hong Kong’s “one country, two systems” framework gives it a unique edge to connect global opportunities in an AI-driven world.
In the robotics sector, the race is intensifying. Companies are close to overcoming the final, hardest hurdle in robotics: creating dextrous hands that can turn humanoid robots from novelties into useful products. Most of these companies are in China [189913]. Chinese self-driving car companies are also expanding globally, leveraging the country’s electric vehicle supply chain to give robotaxi firms a head start over foreign rivals [190675].
Even in traditional industries, AI is making an impact. In southern China’s Guangxi region, an AI-enabled online platform helps farmers monitor conditions in real time for mulberry silk production. The system alerts farmers to problems like abnormal indoor temperatures, helping them protect silkworms and produce higher-quality silk [185560].
China is also pushing ahead on hardware. A Chinese AI chip startup, Dongfang Suanxin, has come out of stealth mode, betting on 3D stacking technology to bypass US export controls. The company joins giants like Huawei Technologies, which also uses 3D stacking to overcome restrictions on advanced chip imports [189735].