China let its AI industry run wild to build the best models. Now, it wants control

The US-China AI race typically gets looked at through three lenses: models, chips, and talent pool. But there's a little-known government document that might reveal more about China's AI boom than any of those. It’s a registry that companies building with AI must deal with to legally operate in the country. And the result is a public list of thousands of algorithms. This document answers a few important questions. Which tools are being built? Who's building them? Which sectors are gaining prominence?Kendra Schaefer is our guest on today’s episode of Zero Shot. She's the head of tech policy research at Trivium China, a strategic advisory firm, and leads Trivium Tech Daily, a brief read by global investors, companies and policymakers. She's spent close to 20 years living and working in China's tech sector and among her recent areas of focus is the registry.When we ask Kendra about the registry though, she first takes through the history of the tech industry's relationship with the Chinese government. Kendra's biggest point is a macro one: Chinese tech almost invites over regulation. "They will find any crack in the cement whatsoever and they will dive through it with such gusto," she says, describing how companies race regulators to every loophole before rules can close them. It's a pattern that predates AI.That's where the registry comes in. It was introduced as a website-registration system and has been repurposed for the AI boom.There is this data. Chinese LLMs are being deployed. They are hitting all benchmarks and are among the best in the world.But here is the catch. As Kendra says: "The state always prioritizes security.” "It will put security first no matter what the ramifications are to competition, " she adds. What does that mean in the near future?Tune in!—This episode was produced by Vidhatri Rao and edited by Rajiv CN.—Zeus, the mascot of Zero Shot, was generated using AI. Everything else is made by humans, just like all articles, columns, newsletters, and other podcasts created by The Ken.—Write to us at [email protected]. We are all ears.