Microsoft Debates What To Do With AI Lab In China 43
An anonymous reader quotes a report from the New York Times: When Microsoft opened an advanced research lab in Beijing in 1998, it was a time of optimism about technology and China. The company hired hundreds of researchers for the lab, which pioneered Microsoft's work in speech, image and facial recognition and the kind of artificial intelligence that later gave rise to online chatbots likeChatGPT. The Beijing operation eventually became one of the most important A.I. labs in the world. Bill Gates, Microsoft's co-founder, called it an opportunity to tap China's "deep pool of intellectual talent." But as tensions between the United States and China have mounted over which nation will lead the world's technological future, Microsoft's top leaders -- including Satya Nadella, its chief executive, and Brad Smith, its president -- have debated what to do with the prized lab for at least the past year, four current and former Microsoft employees said.
The company has faced questions from U.S. officials over whether maintaining a 200-person advanced technologies lab in China is tenable, the people said. Microsoft said it had instituted guardrails at the lab, restricting researchers from politically sensitive work. The company, which is based in Redmond, Wash., said it had also opened an outpost of the lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, and would move some researchers from China to the location. The outpost is a backup if more researchers need to relocate, two people said. The idea of shutting down or moving the lab has come up, but Microsoft's leaders support continuing it in China, four people said. "We are as committed as ever to the lab and the world-class research of this team," Peter Lee, who leads Microsoft Research, a network of eight labs across the world, said in a statement. Using the lab's formal name, he added, "There has been no discussion or advocacy to close Microsoft Research Asia, and we look forward to continuing our research agenda."
The company has faced questions from U.S. officials over whether maintaining a 200-person advanced technologies lab in China is tenable, the people said. Microsoft said it had instituted guardrails at the lab, restricting researchers from politically sensitive work. The company, which is based in Redmond, Wash., said it had also opened an outpost of the lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, and would move some researchers from China to the location. The outpost is a backup if more researchers need to relocate, two people said. The idea of shutting down or moving the lab has come up, but Microsoft's leaders support continuing it in China, four people said. "We are as committed as ever to the lab and the world-class research of this team," Peter Lee, who leads Microsoft Research, a network of eight labs across the world, said in a statement. Using the lab's formal name, he added, "There has been no discussion or advocacy to close Microsoft Research Asia, and we look forward to continuing our research agenda."
Just continue (Score:2)
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Problem is that Microsoft is not allowed to let a China site access competitive compute equipment for the research they would have them do.
So you have an "AI Lab" that is not allowed to touch the gold standard platforms for doing AI work.
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Re: Just continue (Score:2)
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They wouldn't be allowed to, say, acquire H100s if they wanted.
They may be able to continue with the hardware they have today, or upgrade according to whatever can be found in China, but they won't be able to stay up to date with the same new technologies that will be the standard in the rest of the world.
So over a longer time frame, they'd have to become a research group that is mostly more relevant to the Chinese market only.
Re: Just continue (Score:2)
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China will probably bar those scientists from leaving or operating outside of China
I think one has to assume that a good portion of those scientists are already engaged in commercial espionage on behalf of the PRC, I doubt they will have any trouble obtaining exit visas. The PRC also maintains a effective and active "police station" in Vancouver to keep them in line should the need arise.
How is this even a debate? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Look forward to being hacked by Chinese AI bots powered by Bing®
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And hand all that talent and knowledge over to Chinese companies.
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That isn't true. In fact recently the GPL was validated in China, possibly to a greater extent than anywhere else in the world.
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And yet companies like Microsoft and Apple seem very keen to do business there.
Don't let facts get in the way of your racism though.
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You were the one who said "ethnically han".
Re: How is this even a debate? (Score:2)
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Protecting yourself from an antagonistic country (CCP) is not racism.
China is not our friend, and EVERYTHING that goes on in China, is beholden/owned by the CCP....there is nothing that happens in China that is beyond the governments immediate hand.
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What exactly have they done to antagonise you?
China is not your enemy (Score:1)
Please don't mention Uyghurs - Israel, with US support, has done much worse in Gaza.
The South China Sea Claims? Taiwan actually makes the exact same territory claim.
They will attack Taiwan? probably not https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
The only reason they are cast as an enemy is because their GDP will soon pass US GDP, that's it, fear of a *potential* threat with increasing economic might, exactly as John J. Mearsheimer predicted: https://www.youtube.com/watch? [youtube.com]
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Though they might prefer it be called "state capitalism", which Marx intended to be an intermediate step. Not that there is a significant practical difference, Fascism and Socialism are essentially the sa
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Fascism and Socialism are essentially the same thing.
Not sure if you're fascist adjacent and intentionally muddying the waters, or if you're too ignorant to form a reasonable opinion. You've just called most economic powerhouse democracies "fascist".
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They are not our friend.
They are an enemy that we do business with.....too much IMHO.
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And even if you were right about Taiwan and Israel (and you are not), how in
Create A New Leader For China. (Score:1)
They are ready for a new one.
That's nice of Microsoft (Score:2)
Applied AI (Score:1)
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Moving to Vancouver (Score:2)
The company, which is based in Redmond, Wash., said it had also opened an outpost of the lab in Vancouver, British Columbia, and would move some researchers from China to the location.
As a local resident, I can tell you that Vancouver (or Canada as a whole) is no bastion of privacy against China. They have their nose pretty far up in our business here.
MS should close that AI Lab (Score:4, Insightful)
conundrum (Score:2)
Unfortunately, the Chinese workers are better than the American ones, and aren't constantly complaining they need a union. Maybe MS can bring them and their extended families over to the US.