China targets AI and frontier tech in newly unveiled innovation blueprint

China’s top state research body has put artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies at the heart of its new five-year plan, unveiled on Monday, as global competition in science and technology heats up.The Chinese Academy of Sciences, China’s highest academic institution, laid out a detailed blueprint for research and technology development aligned with the country’s 15th five-year plan covering 2026 to 2030.The plan focuses on innovation in areas including artificial intelligence (AI) and semiconductors while underscoring efforts to develop the next generation of scientific talent.It identified integrated circuits, AI, quantum technology, life sciences and biotechnology, brain-computer interfaces and controlled nuclear fusion as priority areas alongside basic and interdisciplinary research.