China’s Investment into AI Takes Young People On Board

China has emerged to be the clear challenger to US dominance in the domain of research into AI. The Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) has recently recruited 31 young children for a one of its technology development program. The BIT has handpicked some of the most talented young brains from across China and will put them through a rigorous training to will develop these young brains into some of the youngest scientists who will work on AI-based technology development.

There are 4 girls and 27 boys in the selected group and all of them are below the age of 18. There were a total of 5000 young candidates that had applied. The vetting process was so intense that only 31 out of the 5000 made it through.

From the information that has been made public about the selection mechanism, it can be deduced that the selection was based on a diverse criteria besides just exceptional intelligence and mental capabilities. It is likely that things such as mental toughness, creative thinking, determination and perseverance in the face of difficulties were assessed to qualify for the elite program.

BIT is an elite public institute in science and engineering. For such a program to be launched is evidence of the significance that the government places on the technological innovation and being a leader in the realm science — particularly in artificial intelligence.

Each student will be put through a rigorous leaning and development course as part of the program. The program’s brochure reveals that throughout their journey, students will be able to benefit from the mentorship of two senior scientists with backgrounds in academia.

Once the students clear the first semester of general courses, they will go on into their specific specialty fields. These fields could range from electronics to mechanical engineering and a lot more. Having cleared their specialized courses, they will then be able to work in a related laboratory where they will go on to further build and polish their skills.