On November 15, 2017, the PRC Ministry of Science and Technology announced the formation of the “New Generation Artificial Intelligence Strategic Advisory Committee.” The purpose of the committee is to provide input to the Chinese government on S&T development plans and projects that involve AI. Most of the 27 members of the committee have academic and research backgrounds, but the group includes five industry representatives as well. This product summarizes Chinese government and media reporting on the committee and includes a short biographical profile of each committee member.

For profiles of members of another Chinese state AI advisory body, the PRC Ministry of Education Artificial Intelligence Technology Innovation Expert Group, see: https://cset.georgetown.edu/wp-content/uploads/t0104_MOE_AI_groups_EN.pdf

Translator and Annotator: Ben Murphy, CSET Translation Lead

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The PRC Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST; 科技部) held a kick-off meeting for the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan¹ and related major S&T projects (重大科技项目) on November 15, 2017, according to state press agency Xinhua.²

At the meeting, Minister of Science and Technology-designate Wang Zhigang³ announced the establishment of the Next Generation Artificial Intelligence Strategic Advisory Committee (新一代人工智能战略咨询委员会), according to MOST’s website⁴. The purpose of the Strategic Advisory Committee, Wang explained, is to provide advice on “major deployments” (重大部署) related to the development of AI in China. The Strategic Advisory Committee is comprised of 27 individuals, namely:

• Pan Yunhe, head of the Committee and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE);
• 16 additional academicians of either CAE or the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS): Chen Chun, Li Wei, Gao Wen, Zheng Nanning, Wu Cheng, Li Bohu, Lü Yuegang, Mei Hong, Cao Xuetao, Wang Tianran, Lü Jian, Wu Zhiqiang, Huang Ru, Liu Ming, Xu Zongben, and Wu Manqing;
• Three researchers: Xu Bo, Li Bin, and Zhao Chunjiang;
• Two professors: Liu Zhong and Xue Lan;
• And five representatives from industry: Min Wanli, Wang Haifeng, Yao Xing, Hu Yu, and Yu Kai.

Min Wanli, a member of the Strategic Advisory Committee, told popular PRC economic newspaper 21st Century Business Herald (21世纪经济报道) in a November 2017 interview that the Committee’s job is to provide professional, strategic guidance to the Chinese government on AI matters, particularly those that pertain to the development of China’s AI industry.⁵

Besides the November 15, 2017 kickoff meeting, PRC media have reported on only one other event that the entire Strategic Advisory Committee attended. On February 15, 2019, the full Committee attended the 2019 work conference of the New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan Promotion Office (新一代人工智能发展规划推进办公室), according to MOST’s website.⁶ The Promotion Office is comprised of representatives of 15 different PRC ministries and commissions and was established at the November 2017 kickoff meeting along with the Strategic Advisory Committee.

The following table features biographical information about each of the 27 members of the Strategic Advisory Committee, culled principally from CAS, CAE, and Chinese university websites.

For the rest of the translation, download the PDF below.

1. For an English translation of the Next Generation AI Development Plan (新一代人工智能发展规划), see: https://www.newamerica.org/cybersecurity-initiative/digichina/blog/full-translation-chinas-new-generation-artificial-intelligence-development-plan-2017/
2. http://www.cac.gov.cn/2017-11/16/c_1121964697.htm
3. The Next Generation AI meeting was held during the “lame duck” period between the 19th Party Congress in October 2017—immediately after which new party leaders were appointed—and the first session of the 13th National People’s Congress in March 2018, when new government leaders took office. Wang Zhigang (王志刚) had been promoted to the top party post at MOST—secretary of MOST’s party group—by November 2018, making him the heir apparent to then-Minister of Science and Technology Wan Gang (万钢). But Wang did not officially replace Wan as the head of MOST until March 2018.
4. http://www.ia.cas.cn/xwzx/ttxw/201711/t20171121_4896939.html
5. http://epaper.21jingji.com/html/2017-11/27/content_75231.htm
6. http://iot.china.com.cn/content/2019-02/25/content_40671321.html