China responded to urgent calls to slow down artificial intelligence (AI) development, dismissing these warnings as an attempt to limit its rival's progress on the global stage. On Monday, Beijing described the intervention of U.S. technology officials as "fearmongering" and part of a "Cold War playbook."
Competition and Warnings
This new reaction indicates that competition between China and the United States may extend beyond growing concerns about safety. Former U.S. President Donald Trump also responded negatively to industry officials' warnings, stating that his focus is on defeating China in the field of artificial intelligence. These remarks came after a lengthy article by Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, who had supported Sam Altman (CEO of OpenAI) and Elon Musk (founder of SpaceX).
Read more: Senior AI executives say the pace of technology development is slowing
Beijing's Reactions
In this article, Amodei urged companies to intentionally slow down the "speed of advancement" of their models and pointed to potential risks. He also stated that "China's superiority in artificial intelligence could pose serious risks to the United States and the world." This message was not accepted by Beijing. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a press conference, "Fearmongering, confrontation, and unhealthy competition will only disrupt the governance process of global artificial intelligence and benefit no one."
The state-run Global Times also described the call to slow down development in the AI industry as "full of targeted restrictive provisions against China and essentially a 'Cold War playbook' for the AI sector" in a sharper tone on Sunday.
Challenges of Cooperation
While Trump dismisses safety concerns, China recognizes the security risks of AI, and State Security Minister Chen Yixin announced on Sunday that China must "accelerate the establishment of a system for preventing and controlling AI security risks." Chen also stated in the state publication China Cyberspace that "we must actively participate in international cooperation" and identified AI as "a new path for strategic competition."
This divergence in approaches to AI advancement is likely to be a key topic during the meeting between Xi Jinping and Trump on September 24 in Washington.
Read more: Obama calls on Democrats to formulate a clear plan on artificial intelligence · Mike Johnson: We need "boundaries" for artificial intelligence!
