Google opens artificial intelligence research center in China

Alphabet Inc’s Google said on Wednesday that it is opening an artificial intelligence research center in China to target the country’s local talent. Google said the research center is the first of its kind in Asia and will comprise a small team operating out of its existing office in Beijing. Google’s search engine is banned in the Chinese market, along with its app store, email and cloud-storage services. Chinese officials have voiced strong support for AI research and development, but have imposed increasingly strict rules on foreign firms in the past year, including new censorship restrictions, Reuters reports.