Google opens artificial intelligence lab in China

Dec. 13 (UPI) -- Google on Wednesday disclosed plans to create a research lab in China dedicated to artificial intelligence.

In the announcement of the Google AI China Center, Google Cloud chief scientist Fei-Fei Li said China is home to top AI experts, who in 2015 contributed to 43 percent of content in the top 100 AI journals.

"I believe AI and its benefits have no borders. Whether a breakthrough occurs in Silicon Valley, Beijing or anywhere else, it has the potential to make everyone's life better for the entire world," she said. "As an AI first company, this is an important part of our collective mission. And we want to work with the best AI talent, wherever that talent is, to achieve it."

The center joins other Google-run AI research groups, including facilities in New York, Toronto, London and Zurich. They all contribute toward the same goal: "finding ways to make AI work better for everyone," Li said.

Google said it plans to work closely with AI researchers elsewhere in the country by hosting conferences and workshops at its new facility.

"Humanity is going through a huge transformation thanks to the phenomenal growth of computing and digitization," Li said. "As technology starts to shape human life in more profound ways, we will need to work together to ensure that the AI of tomorrow benefits all of us."

The new facility will include a small group of researchers and several hundred engineers based in China, though Google's services are not available in the country. In 2010, most of the Google services were blocked in China after the company defied the government by refusing to self-censor search content.