A NATIONAL investment fund for developing the self-driving industry should be set up and national-level policies aimed at speeding up the industrialization of self-driving vehicles should be introduced, said Robin Li, chairman and CEO of leading Chinese search engine Baidu Inc.

In his proposal to the first session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Li, a member of the committee, said the eligibility criteria for self-driving vehicles’ operation should be clarified as soon as possible, and the authorities should issue licenses to suitable enterprises.

Moreover, companies that meet certain requirements should be encouraged to take the lead in carrying out self-driving operational services, he said.

“Self-driving technology is in an early stage of industrialization exploration, and whether the policy matches with technical progress determines the innovation speed and competitiveness of the industry to a certain extent. China urgently needs to ramp up innovation in the policy sector,” said Li.

Li also stressed the importance of information safety in self-driving vehicles. “We should strengthen security measures to prevent huge risks caused by hackers and critical data being controlled by others.”

In addition, Li also called for preferential funding and tax policies, encouraging enterprises to open their artificial intelligence platforms and technologies, as well as fostering a batch of national open AI platforms with strong competitiveness and great influence. 

(China Daily)