Beijing leads China with the most number of AI firms, as nation’s capital pledges support for developing ChatGPT-like services

Beijing is now home to the largest concentration of artificial intelligence (AI) enterprises and talent in China, according to a white paper published on Monday, as local authorities in the metropolis pledged to support enterprises looking to rival the success of ChatGPT creator OpenAI.

One of Asia’s top cities for start-ups, the nation’s capital had 1,048 “core AI companies” as of October last year, making up more than one-third of the total number of such firms in the country, according to the paper released by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Economy and Information Technology on Monday.

That rapid development has attracted more than 40,000 AI talent to the city, which accounted for more than 60 per cent of the country’s total in the field, according to the paper that was unveiled by the bureau during the Beijing Artificial Intelligence Industry Innovation and Development Conference.

At the event, local officials said the city plans to help companies develop large-language models like American start-up OpenAI’s GPT-3, which uses deep learning technology to produce humanlike text for ChatGPT. The city also committed to help build an ecosystem of open-source frameworks and applications for these models, according to a report by Beijing News, which is owned by China’s Communist Party.

In addition, the white paper indicated that Beijing will support AI companies apply their solutions into other areas, including autonomous driving, smart city development and advanced manufacturing.