China Keeps Its AI Talent at Home but Struggles to Attract Foreign Researchers
China is keeping its own artificial intelligence researchers at home but hiring few foreign researchers, according to a study described by Zeyi Yang in The New York Times on October 6, 2026. The New York Times The study separates two ideas. One is circulation, or whether Chinese researchers stay in China. The other is attraction, or whether researchers from other countries move to China.
The New York Post reported on September 26, 2026 that 41% of the world's leading AI researchers hired in 2025 went to China, while 34% went to U.S. companies. New York Post The Post attributed those figures to a think tank it identified as Carnegie.
Several city governments run programs to recruit researchers from abroad. Shanghai launched the 2026 Magnolia Talent Program Pujiang Program to attract outstanding overseas talent to work and start businesses in Shanghai. Shanghai Municipal Government The Shanghai Institute for Science of Science opened applications for postdoctoral researchers, or researchers who have finished a PhD and continue research training, under its 2026 talent program. Demand is concentrated in a few places. Beijing accounts for 19.6 percent of China's demand for AI agent talent, or specialists who build AI systems that can carry out tasks. Shanghai Municipal Government
Some programs focus on working outside China rather than moving to China. Changning's second Go Global Talent Program runs on weekend sessions from August 29 to September 20, 2026. All courses in the program are tuition-free. Changning District Government
A similar recruitment push took place in semiconductors, or computer chips. Reuters reported in August 2023 that China was quietly recruiting overseas chip talent as the U.S. tightened curbs, or restrictions on technology exports. Reuters Typical signing bonuses were 3 to 5 million yuan, starting at about $420,000.
Chinese policymakers said a society-wide artificial intelligence push would create new jobs and support the economy. Reuters Reuters reported on May 26, 2026, citing Bloomberg News, that China restricted overseas travel for top AI talent at Alibaba and DeepSeek. Reuters
The broader context here is a talent system pulling in two directions. Municipal governments advertise openly for overseas researchers and founders. Central controls limit exit for selected engineers. One track seeks inflow. The other prevents outflow.
Looking at what this means for U.S.-China competition, the limit may be less about numbers than about mix. A system that keeps its own researchers can staff applied work and large-scale rollout, like putting AI tools into factories and services. Ties to foreign labs have in the past helped methods and contacts spread. If foreign hiring stays narrow while domestic retention stays strong, the result could be two large research systems that work well internally but share less with each other.
