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From Lab to Life: How AI Works in China, cover

Library edition information

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From Lab to Life.

How AI Works in China

Collin Hogue-Spears·Gatekeeper Press·August 4, 2026

Hardcover	ISBN `9781662976049`US$29.99
Paperback	ISBN `9781662969553`US$19.99
eBook	ISBN `9781662969560`US$8.99
Extent	xix + 391 pages · 5.5 × 8.5 in · 1.37 lb
LCCN	`2026934799`
OCLC	`1609924763`
Subject heading	Artificial intelligence, China

Ingram · OverDrive · InternationalHow to order→ Request a review copy WorldCat record ↗

About the book

Twenty chapters. One system.

How does China decide which AI systems reach the public?

From Lab to Life answers that question across fifteen years, from Baidu's early search infrastructure to the 346 generative AI services cleared for public release by April 2025.

The registration and approval system did not simply constrain China's AI market. It constituted it.

The book works from Chinese regulatory texts, company filings, government documents, and technical papers. No knowledge of Chinese is required.

It is written for general readers in technology, policy, business, and international affairs, with sourcing extensive enough for researchers and subject specialists.

Table of contents · Introduction and 20 chapters+

Introduction

Act I · Origins, 2010 to 2017

01Product Before Product
02Machine for Scale
03Voice and Vision
04The Plural Country
05Ambition Crystallizes

Act II · Governance, 2018 to 2022

06Products Become Infrastructure
07The Regulator Stack
08Compliance Sprint
09Safety in Beijing

Act III · Adaptation, 2022 to 2024

10The Compute Question
11Efficiency Discipline
12The ChatGPT Pivot

Act IV · Deployment, 2023 to 2025

13The Permissive Environment
14Governance Operational
15Model to Service
16Procurement as Distribution
17Four Launches, Four Paths

Act V · Diffusion, 2025 onward

18Open Weights
19Global Expansion
20Governance as Export

How to order

Order by ISBN.

All three editions carry full library metadata and are available through standard wholesale accounts. Copy the ISBN from the table above and place the order through your usual channel.

Print · United States

Ingram.

Hardcover and paperback, stocked and shipped through Ingram Content Group.

Wholesale discount53%

ReturnsReturnable

Terms effectiveSeptember 25, 2026

eBook · Lending

OverDrive Marketplace.

Listed for library lending through OverDrive under ISBN 9781662969560. Lending terms display in OverDrive Marketplace to library accounts.

OverDrive title listing ↗

International

Outside the US.

Print editions are listed with regional library suppliers.

Gardners · UK and Ireland
Peter Pal Library Supplier · Australia and New Zealand
Book in Bar · France

Review copies. PDF on request; print copies by arrangement for selectors and collection committees.

Request a review copy

Reviews

Professional reviews.

Kirkus Reviews · Get It
"An important volume that convincingly dispels popular myths about its topic."
Read the Kirkus review ↗

BlueInk Review · ★ Starred Review
"A fascinating primer on China's AI culture."
Read the BlueInk review ↗

Midwest Book Review · D. Donovan · August 2026
"The perfect blend of science, policy-making influences, and probe into Chinese systems and affairs."
Read the Midwest Book Review ↗

Foreword Clarion Reviews · 4 of 5 stars
"Going beyond the headlines to explain the actual workings of AI in China, From Lab to Life is an illuminating technology survey."
Read the Foreword review ↗

Asian Review of Books · New Book Announcement
Listed in the August 2026 new nonfiction announcements.
View the listing ↗

Holdings

Libraries that have purchased or ordered the title.

31 institutions across seven countries.Updated September 26, 2026

Public library systems

Montgomery County Public Libraries · MD
Santa Clara County Library District · CA
Mountain View Public Library · CA
Miami-Dade Public Library System · FL
Cuyahoga County Public Library · OH
Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County · OH
Toledo Lucas County Public Library · OH
Lima Public Library · OH
North Chicago Public Library · IL
Virginia Beach Public Library · VA
Fingal Libraries · Ireland

Academic and national libraries

London School of Economics
SOAS University of London
Georgetown University
Cornell University
University of Michigan
University of Pennsylvania
Indiana University Bloomington
University of Illinois Chicago
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
University of Minnesota
University of Pittsburgh
Georgia Institute of Technology
Old Dominion University
Morgan State University
McGill University
University of Victoria
Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin
BULAC · Paris
National Library of Australia
State Library of Queensland

Collection information

Where it shelves.

Recommended collections

Technology · Public policy · Business · China and East Asia · International affairs

Reader level

General adult

Language note

No knowledge of Chinese is required.

Endnotes

Yes15 to 25 per chapter

Index

Confirm against typeset

Subject heading

Artificial intelligence, ChinaLCCN 2026934799 · OCLC 1609924763

About the author

Collin Hogue-Spears.

Collin Hogue-Spears is an independent researcher and author on AI governance who works from Chinese-language regulatory texts and filings. Earlier in his technology career he coordinated a government security audit in Shanghai for a US cloud provider.

Full biography →

Library programs

Virtual author talks.

Virtual author talks on China's AI governance for library audiences, offered at no fee. Sessions are scheduled around your program calendar and run over the video platform your library already uses.

Request a talk →

Contact and downloads

Selector resources.

Email admin@collinhoguespears.ai

Telephone +1 (571) 540-3076

One-page sell sheet

PDF

Coming soon

Catalog record

WorldCat

OCLC 1609924763 ↗