China's AI Exports Database (CAIED)

Jennifer Bouey, Lynn Hu, Keller Scholl, William Marcellino, Stacey Yi, Rafiq Dossani, James Gazis, Ammar A. Malik, Kyra Solomon, Sheng Zhang, Andy Shufer

ToolPublished Dec 11, 2023

With average annual commitments reaching $85 billion in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) era, China has been one of the world's largest providers of development financing. Funded entirely or partially by China's official sector institutions, Chinese technology companies deploy state-of-the-art Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in many BRI recipient countries. The AI exports facilitated by these arrangements are expected to bolster China's growing global AI technology-supported supply chains and trade flows. These AI tools, as they become embedded in different countries' public and private systems could help China to influence global technology standards and regulations.

The China AI Exports Database (CAIED) tracks Chinese government-supported development finance projects that utilized or enabled AI technology in the Global South between 2000 and 2017. It was built on AidData's Global Chinese Development Finance (CGDF) Dataset Version 2.0. Using the latest data mining tools, we identified 155 projects qualified as either an AI Application or as AI Infrastructure (i.e. critical infrastructure for AI applications, or a tool that enables AI applications to be adapted in the future). The CAIED also includes country governance information such as the regime type to demonstrate associations between AI technology use and governance systems.

View Tool

Topics

Document Details

Citation

RAND Style Manual

Bouey, Jennifer, Lynn Hu, Keller Scholl, William Marcellino, Stacey Yi, Rafiq Dossani, James Gazis, Ammar A. Malik, Kyra Solomon, Sheng Zhang, and Andy Shufer, China's AI Exports Database (CAIED), RAND Corporation, TL-A2696-1, 2023. As of May 1, 2025: https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA2696-1.html

Chicago Manual of Style

Bouey, Jennifer, Lynn Hu, Keller Scholl, William Marcellino, Stacey Yi, Rafiq Dossani, James Gazis, Ammar A. Malik, Kyra Solomon, Sheng Zhang, and Andy Shufer, China's AI Exports Database (CAIED). Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023. https://www.rand.org/pubs/tools/TLA2696-1.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

The research reported here was funded by RAND-initiated research and conducted within the Acquisition and Technology Policy Program of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD).

This publication is part of the RAND tool series. RAND tools include models, databases, calculators, computer code, GIS mapping tools, practitioner guidelines, web applications, and various other toolkits and applied research products. All RAND tools undergo rigorous peer review to ensure both high data standards and appropriate methodology in keeping with RAND's commitment to quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.