Currently, my country's artificial intelligence is in a period of policy dividends, with governments at all levels, from the central to the local, introducing a series of policies and measures to promote its development. For AI practitioners, it is essential to understand the policies issued by the government.
I. Research Subjects and Methods
This report compiles and studies nearly 60 national and local artificial intelligence policies released between 2015 and January 2018. The policies target specific industry-specific policies related to artificial intelligence, including both "strong AI policies" and "weak AI policies."
Among them, "strong AI policies" refer to policies whose titles contain the term "artificial intelligence" or whose documents contain more than 80% specific content related to artificial intelligence; "weak AI policies" refer to policies that only involve a small amount of content related to the artificial intelligence industry. In terms of specific research methods, both policy text analysis and policy tool analysis are used in combination.
II. Analysis of National and Local Policies
(i) Provinces (municipalities) are the main force in issuing artificial intelligence policies.
With a mix of strong and weak policy measures, national-level industrial policies have provided a powerful top-level impetus for the development of my country's artificial intelligence (AI) industry. Based on the issuing agencies, AI policies can be categorized into four levels: national, provincial (municipal), prefecture-level city (district), and industrial park. Of the 14 AI policies issued by the national government, the majority are weak AI policies, with only four strong AI policies. While weaker policies are more numerous, they are implemented intensively, with the core purpose of creating momentum for the development of my country's AI industry.
Provinces (municipalities) have become the main force driving the development of my country's artificial intelligence industry. At the provincial (municipal) level, a total of 26 policies were issued, distributed across 16 provinces. Among them, Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhejiang, Anhui, Jilin, Guizhou, and Liaoning each issued two policies. At the prefecture-level city (district of municipalities) level, 15 policies were issued, distributed across 12 prefecture-level cities and 3 districts of municipalities. At the industrial park level, 6 policies were issued; although the number is small, the policies are highly targeted.
Number of AI-related policies
(ii) Jiangsu ranks first in policy strength, followed by Shanghai and Beijing.
Jiangsu Province released five AI-related policies, leading other provinces in terms of government力度 (intensity/strength). Shanghai, Beijing, Zhejiang, and Liaoning followed closely with four policies each. However, Shanghai's four policies are all "strong AI policies," giving it a slight edge in policy力度 (intensity/strength). Beijing's four policies, besides those released by the Beijing Municipal Government, included one strongly related policy ("Zhongguancun National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone Artificial Intelligence Industry Cultivation Action Plan (2017-2020)") and one weakly related policy ("Changping District Actively Promoting 'Internet+' Action Implementation Plan") released by the Zhongguancun Management Committee and the Changping District Government, respectively. Zhejiang Province tied for second place with four policies (two "strongly related" and two "weakly related"), while Liaoning Province also ranked second with four policies, as both Shenyang and Dalian released AI-related industry policies.
Comparison of the strength of artificial intelligence policies issued by various provinces
(III) Guangzhou leads other provinces and cities with an artificial intelligence industry scale of 120 billion yuan.
The future scale of industrial development is the result of local governments' comprehensive assessment of the current state and future expectations of local industrial development, reflecting their efforts and determination to develop the artificial intelligence industry. According to the policy documents already compiled, Guangzhou has the highest projected scale for its key artificial intelligence industry, expected to reach 120 billion yuan, higher than the projected scale in other regions. Shanghai follows, with a projected scale exceeding 100 billion yuan. Nanjing Development Zone, Zhongguancun, and the Zhejiang Provincial Government are third, with a projected scale of 50 billion yuan for their key artificial intelligence industries.
The scale of industries involved in each policy
(iv) The Guangzhou and Suzhou Industrial Parks have the largest investment, exceeding 10 billion yuan.
Government policy and financial support are crucial for emerging enterprises. They not only facilitate rapid development but also allow companies to focus more on technological innovation. Among publicly available policy documents, Guangzhou and Suzhou Industrial Park offer the largest financial support for artificial intelligence (AI), with expected support exceeding tens of billions of yuan. Nanjing Economic and Technological Development Zone follows, with an estimated investment of 8 billion yuan to support the AI industry through the establishment of a fund. Since Nanjing, Suzhou, and Changzhou are all located in Jiangsu Province, Jiangsu Province holds a significant lead over other provinces and cities in terms of financial support for the AI industry. While some policies do not specify concrete amounts, the active presence of venture capital firms in these areas suggests the introduction of external funds to support the development of the local AI industry.
Industry support and guidance funds involved in various policies
(v) Developed cities place greater emphasis on and exert stronger efforts in attracting talent.
Talent, as an indispensable factor in urban and enterprise development, is the core driving force for the development of regional innovative industries. Among the AI policies surveyed, developed cities show a significantly higher level of emphasis on talent, with policy documents explicitly outlining talent support measures primarily concentrated in the Beijing-Shanghai-Guangzhou-Hangzhou region. While the specific measures for attracting talent vary across cities, they all ultimately provide support through financial subsidies or incentives.
Talent support measures involved in various policies
(vi) Only a few policy documents mention specific issues of enterprise support.
When choosing a location to register, a company should consider not only the local market environment but also preferential policies such as rent and tax breaks offered by local industrial policies. Government subsidies for businesses or for rent can effectively reduce talent turnover and help companies save on rent, allowing them to allocate more funds to technological innovation. Currently, only five policy documents address specific measures related to these subsidies.
Enterprise subsidies involved in various policies
(vii) Technology and industrial application are the two main directions of policy support.
The development and application of the artificial intelligence industry inevitably necessitates the commercialization of its products. Currently, various policies mention several application areas, including: intelligent manufacturing, intelligent robots, intelligent terminals, autonomous driving, intelligent security, smart homes, and smart healthcare. These applications can all be deeply integrated with traditional industries. The technologies mentioned in these policies primarily include computer vision, intelligent speech processing, biometric recognition, natural language understanding, intelligent decision theory and human-computer interaction, image recognition, and machine learning.
III. Hotspots for Future Artificial Intelligence Development and Investment from a Policy Perspective
Based on the above analysis, we can comprehensively analyze the hot regions for future AI development and investment from five quantifiable dimensions: policy intensity, expected industry scale, policy investment, talent support, and enterprise support. From a policy perspective, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Guangdong, Beijing, and Zhejiang are the hot regions for future AI development and investment. From a city perspective, Suzhou in Jiangsu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing, and Hangzhou are the hot cities for AI development and investment.
From a policy perspective, the hottest provinces and cities for the future development and investment in artificial intelligence.
