In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, August 10th
China Takes the Lead in Academic Research on AI and Sudan Recalls its Ambassador to Ethiopia as Relations Deteriorate
China Takes the Lead in Academic Research on AI
Last year China surpassed the United States in terms of total AI-related academic citations, making up 20.7 percent of the total, while the US accounted for 19.8 percent. By tallying the total number of AI-related academic citations, researchers can roughly estimate the relative advancement of countries in the field of AI. According to a study conducted at Stanford University, China’s drive to become a leader in AI has seen remarkable progress because since 2012, China has released roughly 240,000 AI-related academic papers compared to the roughly 150,000 of the US.
That China is overtaking the US in such a strategically significant field as artificial intelligence research has set off alarm bells as US strategists understand the widespread application of AI technologies — whether commercial or otherwise. Until recently, the US was considered far ahead of any other country in terms of advancement in AI research, but China’s rapid rise both economically and technologically has caused enough concern in US foreign policy circles that there’s a real push for the US to regain its position of AI supremacy.
In 2017, China adopted the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan aiming to foster China as the centre of global innovation in AI. China’s rise in the field of AI has only continued to grow since then. By 2030, China is expected to possess a vast and complex network of devices capable of generating a huge amount of data, which is perhaps one reason why US policymakers have been quick to shut out Chinese tech companies from operating in US markets. As the US looks to respond to the challenge posed by Chinese advancements, bilateral competition in AI will heat up and carry global repercussions.
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Sudan Recalls its Ambassador to Ethiopia as Relations Deteriorate
The Sudanese government has announced that the country’s ambassador to Ethiopia is being recalled following a public spat in which Ethiopia accused Khartoum of interfering in the Tigray crisis. The Sudanese Foreign Ministry outright rejected accusations levelled by Ethiopia that Sudan is not holding a neutral position in its mediation efforts over Tigray.
But the spokesperson for the Ethiopian Prime Minister declared that Ethiopia rejects Sudan’s involvement in mediating a resolution to the Tigray conflict, claiming that Sudan “is not a credible party.” Ethiopia accuses neighbouring Sudan of taking advantage of Ethiopia’s domestic turmoil in the Tigray conflict by attempting to seize Ethiopian lands. Khartoum denies these accusations, saying it has recovered some 95 percent of its own occupied lands. The border dispute between the two countries falls in the area of Al-Fashqa, where the Ethiopian Amhara region meets the Gedaref state in Sudan.
Disregarding Ethiopian claims, Sudan has pledged to continue its push for a solution to the conflict and said that it will mediate between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF) to find a peaceful solution to the conflict. The relationship between Sudan and Ethiopia deteriorated rapidly following Sudan’s decision to strengthen ties with Egypt, with both countries jointly opposing Ethiopia’s unilateral decision to fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam without taking into account Sudanese and Egyptian interests.
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