The Belt and Road Initiative is an ongoing effort to link economies into a China-centred trade network, largely via state-backed megaprojects abroad. Belt and Road work could eventually cost Beijing US$1 trillion to US$8 trillion over an unspecified period, the Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank estimated in 2018.
Zhipu AI’s plan reflects intensifying efforts by both Chinese and US companies to widen the adoption of their AI models and applications beyond their home markets.
At a trade event in Singapore last month, a Zhipu AI executive revealed that the company has been pitching governments around the world to help them launch localised sovereign AI agents, according to a report by Reuters.
AI agents are programs that are capable of autonomously performing tasks on behalf of a user or another system. Essentially, these agents create a plan of specific tasks and subtasks to complete a goal using their available resources.
The Zhipu AI executive also said at the event that the firm was running joint “innovation centres” across a number of countries in Asia, including Indonesia and Vietnam, according to the report. Zhipu AI already has offices in Singapore, Malaysia, the Middle East and the UK.