China is pursuing a sophisticated, multi-faceted strategy to accelerate its progress toward Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), according to a May 2025 report from Georgetown University's Center for Security and Emerging Technology (CSET).
The report, titled 'Wuhan's AI Development: China's Alternative Springboard to Artificial General Intelligence,' details how China is developing alternative approaches to AGI that diverge from the Western focus on large language models (LLMs). Instead, Chinese researchers are exploring 'embodied AI' systems that learn by interacting with real-world environments.
'China's top state-funded AI institutes are exploring alternative approaches to AGI that involve embodying AI algorithms in real environments. Imbued with the Chinese Communist Party's pre-defined values, the AI interacts with its natural surroundings, learning as it proceeds,' write CSET researchers William Hannas, Huey-Meei Chang, and Daniel H. Chou.
The central city of Wuhan serves as the testbed for this initiative, with two Beijing-based AI institutes establishing branches there. The effort is led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Automation (CASIA), Peking University's PKU-Wuhan Institute for Artificial Intelligence, and technology giant Huawei, all receiving substantial state support.
China's strategy includes significant investment in brain-inspired AI and neuroscience approaches. The Wuhan municipal government recently announced plans to boost the city's AI industry in 2025 by targeting five key areas: 'AI plus robots, AI plus automobiles, AI plus PC and server, AI plus mobile phones, and AI plus eyeglasses.'
Experts warn that while the US and Europe focus heavily on LLM development and AI safety concerns, China's diversified approach could provide strategic advantages in the long-term race for AGI supremacy. 'While focusing on AI safety and the dangers of weaponization, we should also keep in mind the real possibility of being out-competed by a country that moves more quickly and decisively to realize the promises that AI offers,' the CSET researchers conclude.