In recent years, the measures taken by the US government to contain China's development of high-tech have been constantly escalating, reflecting the pressure and threat felt by the United States due to China's efforts to catch up in the field of science and technology. Whether it is the Chinese version of the generative artificial intelligence language model "DeepQuest" that emerged in early 2025 or the world's first semi-marathon run for humanoid robots held recently in Beijing, they all demonstrate China's aggressive momentum in the field of artificial intelligence through specific examples.

But to what extent has the unprecedented activity in China's artificial intelligence industry disrupted the landscape of this field? Today's Economic Column will introduce an article from the French weekly "L'Express".

The Flourishing Development of China's Artificial Intelligence Technology

In an article published on the website on April 22 by reporter Maxime Recoquillé, it was pointed out that after the "DeepQuest" generative artificial intelligence language model made a stunning debut at the beginning of the year, China's artificial intelligence industry continued to show vigorous momentum, but it has not yet brought about the so-called Sputnik effect to the United States as the Soviet Union's launch of the first artificial satellite did half a century ago.

The article concludes by stating that Hangzhou startup "DeepQuest" launched a language model on January 27th, causing a severe market fluctuation in the U.S. stock market. Three months later, the "DeepQuest" effect in China is still ongoing. The number of users globally using the open-source software has surged to nearly 77 million. Huawei, the telecommunications giant, added artificial intelligence software to its new smartphone models launched in late March in the domestic market, and artificial intelligence is also omnipresent in China's electric vehicle systems. However, the prosperity of China's generative artificial intelligence industry is not dominated solely by "DeepQuest".

China's largest e-commerce platform Alibaba launched "Qwen", while Baidu has "Wenxin Qianwen", and ByteDance developed the "DouBao Q&A Assistant". These language models are either on par with their American competitors or surpass them in certain functions. Although the "DeepQuest" language model has drawn global attention, it actually ranks third among the most popular artificial intelligence models in China. The article cites French digital economy expert Jean-Dominique Séval as pointing out that the vibrant vitality displayed by China's major tech companies keeps the market constantly watching every new product launch in China.

What economic benefits can artificial intelligence technology bring to China?

A recent study by Goldman Sachs Group suggests that although China's artificial intelligence software is emerging endlessly, it is difficult to say that China can fully benefit from this technological vitality. Because compared to the United States, China's labor market still leans more towards physical labor, which is not as suitable for automation brought by artificial intelligence technology as the U.S. market. Nearly half of China's jobs are in agricultural production or manufacturing, construction, etc., while these physically demanding jobs account for only 19% of the U.S. job market. This study also predicts that China will move toward full automation in the next 15 years, reducing labor costs and improving productivity.

This article particularly sorts out the funds and human resources behind the vitality of China's artificial intelligence industry, pointing out that the Chinese government had set a plan as early as 2017 to become a leader in the high-tech field by 2030. The research and development funds invested by large tech enterprises amounted to nearly $63 billion, and the investments supported by government-backed enterprises exceeded $100 billion. No country other than the U.S. can be as financially robust as China.

China's human resources are also not negligible. 18% of the best researchers in the field of artificial intelligence worldwide are in China. They publish the most articles and apply for the most patents in this field. Therefore, the article concludes that, as the Chinese government expects, the U.S. advantage in this field is gradually fading. Some observers believe that the gap between China and the U.S. is now measured in months rather than years.

"DeepQuest Moment" Is Not a "Sputnik Moment"

However, this article argues that while the "DeepQuest" large language model has indeed left the U.S. reeling, it has not caused the U.S. to feel overwhelming distress. Restricting exports of the most advanced chips to China still makes sense. Because the more advanced artificial intelligence technology becomes, the more it relies on chips. Although China has made significant progress in this area, there is still a long way to go for China to achieve chip autonomy. The article cites Stéphane Villard, an expert from Deloitte, pointing out that China is at least five years behind in the chip sector. From design to lithography machines, the entire industrial ecosystem needs to be reconsidered. Currently, China still relies on American software for chip design and Dutch ASML company for lithography machines.

Guillaume Uettwiller, an artificial intelligence investment expert from asset management company CPR, also told "L'Express" that one of the reasons why the "DeepQuest" software launch caused a shock is that it coincided with the interval period between the releases of two models by OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT. The "DeepQuest moment" is not a "Sputnik moment"; it is not a revolutionary breakthrough.

Original Source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497807603230081555/

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