Xi Jinping bets on AI to revive China's economy, using state capital and industrial policy to catch the US

倾国之力：习近平希望用人工智能助中国赢得未来

This NYT feature traces China's AI strategy. Xi Jinping declared in 2014 that China must be a top AI maker, not just a buyer. The first national AI plan followed in 2017, targeting global leadership by 2030. State-led funds poured over $184 billion into AI firms from 2000 to 2023, with hundreds of billions more pledged last year. Unlike the US focus on AGI, China prioritizes immediate deployment in factories, hospitals, and classrooms, aiming for AI tools to cover 90% of society by 2030. DeepSeek's breakthrough restored confidence, but regulators tightened controls on chatbots and restricted overseas travel for top AI entrepreneurs. Beijing dismisses global calls to slow AI development, seeing them as a way to lock in US dominance.

Why it matters: A well-sourced NYT long-read on China's state AI strategy, with hard numbers ($184B) and a clear US-vs-China framing. It's a policy overview rather than a breaking product or research drop, so it lands at 82—strong context piece, not a must-act-today item.