Beijing has set aside 60 million yuan ($8.6 million) for up to 12 projects over a two-year period, the notice states.
In an effort to advance the nation’s push for technological independence amid an escalating US-China rivalry, the Beijing government has begun soliciting funding for research projects that include generative artificial intelligence (AI) and the creation of digital content.
Beijing has invited entities registered in the city with scientific research capacity to submit proposals of projects under three categories it has identified as Internet 3.0 technologies: 3D digital content creation, generative AI, and research and development of industrial application systems and equipment, which includes augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality.
The notice was posted on the website of the municipal technology promotion agency on Friday (VR). Beijing has set aside 60 million yuan ($8.6 million) for up to 12 projects over a two-year period, the notice states.
The action is also a part of Beijing’s three-year plan to support the growth of the so-called Internet 3.0 sector through 2025. Beijing is to become a “highland for Internet 3.0 technology,” according to the plan, which was unveiled in March.
In order to “accelerate technological localisation” and replace imported technology with domestically produced alternatives, it also calls for advancements in six core technologies.
The technologies cited as being essential to Internet 3.0 include artificial intelligence (AI), blockchain, high-end computing chips, telecoms, extended reality terminals, and digital content creation.
Beijing anticipates using these technologies in a variety of contexts, such as powering advanced manufacturing and smart cities.
Generative AI was prioritised in both the research proposal and the working plan, demonstrating Beijing’s growing interest in the area that has gained attention since the launch of ChatGPT, the well-known AI-powered bot from US start-up OpenAI, in November of last year.
According to a white paper released in February by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology, Beijing already has the highest concentration of AI businesses and talent in China.
Chinese companies, however, weren’t prepared for ChatGPT’s capabilities, which include the ability to write code and fiction as responses to complex queries.
The Post’s owner, Alibaba Group Holding, and other tech behemoths like Baidu have rushed to release comparable products based on their own AI models. Beijing has also increased funding for regional AI research this year.
Local government representatives promised to assist businesses in creating large-language models, such as those that power ChatGPT, at the Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation and Development Conference in February. Additionally, the government committed to assisting in the development of an ecosystem of open-source applications and frameworks for these models.