experts
Matt Sheehan
Fellow, Asia Program

about


Matt Sheehan is a fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, where his research covers global technology issues with a focus on China. His research projects explore China’s artificial intelligence ecosystem, the future of Chinese technology policy, and the role of technology in China’s political economy. Matt is the author of The Transpacific Experiment: How China and California Collaborate and Compete for our Future (Counterpoint Press, 2019).

From 2010-2016 Matt lived and worked in China, including as the first China correspondent for the World Post. After returning from China, Matt worked as a fellow at the Paulson Institute's think tank, MacroPolo, where he led research on Chinese technology issues. In 2018, he was selected as a finalist for the Young China Watcher of the Year award. 

His writing has been published by the Atlantic, Bloomberg, Vice, and Wired. His research has been cited by numerous government agencies and media outlets, including the National Security Commission on AI, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the San Francisco Chronicle. Matt reads, writes, and speaks Mandarin Chinese.


affiliations
education
BA, Stanford University
languages
English, Mandarin Chinese

All work from Matt Sheehan

filters
34 Results
In The Media
in the media
Chinese Whispers: Will AI Be the Next Arms Race?

China has a rich landscape of homegrown AI products, where progress is being led by tech giants like search engine Baidu and TikTok’s owner, ByteDance. So already there is a bifurcation in the AI worlds of China and the West.

· September 30, 2024
Best of the Spectator
Blue and green lights in wavy lines across the bottom third of the image on a black background
article
China’s Views on AI Safety Are Changing—Quickly

Beijing’s AI safety concerns are higher on the priority list, but they remain tied up in geopolitical competition and technological advancement.

· August 27, 2024
paper
Beyond Open vs. Closed: Emerging Consensus and Key Questions for Foundation AI Model Governance

Ideological conflict between “pro-open” and “anti-open” camps is receding. Carnegie gathered leading experts from a wide range of perspectives to identify common ground and help reset AI governance debates.

  • +15
· July 23, 2024
In The Media
in the media
China's Race to Tech Supremacy: Shenzhen Speed

An explanation on why China’s tech success stories are turning established narratives on democratic freedoms and innovation on their head.

· May 14, 2024
Tech Tonic Podcast (FT)
paper
Tracing the Roots of China’s AI Regulations

How face swap apps, investigative journalism, and corporate thought leadership shaped governance.

· February 27, 2024
commentary
Three Takeaways From the Biden-Xi Meeting

Despite the summit’s modest expectations, Carnegie fellows saw welcomed outcomes on economic, military, and AI issues.

· November 16, 2023
commentary
Why Gavin Newsom’s China Trip Is Both Mundane and Meaningful

It’s the latest in a long tradition of California officials engaging with China on climate issues.

· October 31, 2023
In The Media
in the media
What the U.S. Can Learn From China About Regulating AI

Over the past two years, China has enacted some of the world’s earliest and most sophisticated regulations targeting AI.

· September 12, 2023
Foreign Policy
commentary
The United States Can Flip the Script on China in Green Tech

California is ground zero for engagement.

· September 6, 2023
In The Media
in the media
How China Regulates AI

A conversation about how the public, corporations, academia, and civil society end up directly influencing some of China’s most important regulations.

· August 28, 2023
ChinaTalk