China announces goal of AI leadership by 2030

BEIJING (AP) - China's government has announced a goal of making the country a global leader in artificial intelligence in just over a decade, putting additional political support behind growing investment by Chinese companies in developing self-driving cars and other advances.

The Cabinet statement on Thursday says Chinese leaders see AI as the basis for future industrial development. It calls for developing personnel and research and educational resources to achieve "major breakthroughs" by 2025 and make China a "leading world center for artificial intelligence innovation" by 2030.

Chinese companies including Tencent Ltd., Baidu Inc. and Alibaba Group are spending heavily to develop artificial intelligence for finance, self-driving cars and other applications.

Manufacturers also are installing robots and other forms of automation to help reduce labor costs and improve efficiency.