China Warns of AI Dangers

Officials in China have warned of the dangers posed by the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) and called for increased national security measures.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and prominent communist party members emphasized the country’s ambitions to take the lead in the global race to develop cutting-edge technology during a meeting on Tuesday, May 30.

Xinhua News Agency reported that local leaders discussed the need for “dedicated efforts to safeguard political security and improve the security governance of internet data and artificial intelligence.”

“We must be prepared for worst-case and extreme scenarios, and be ready to withstand the major test of high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms.”

According to Xinhua, Xi stated that the country’s national security problems have “dramatically increased” and that China requires a “new development pattern with a new security architecture.”

This is not the first time Chinese authorities have acted to advance AI.

In April, Chinese authorities mandated reviews of all forthcoming generative AI services that will be made available to the public in the country.

China has been actively pursuing AI development concurrently with these regulatory moves.

Local programmers have created workarounds to circumvent U.S. sanctions restricting Chinese access to the most recent Nvidia chips.

China is not the only global power with an eye on the development of artificial intelligence. Officials in Washington, D.C., recently held a listening session to determine the impact of AI-powered surveillance on workers in the United States.

Joe Biden, president of the United States, has also publicly urged tech companies to address the risks posed by the technology.

Executives know the repercussions of unrestricted AI development and have urged lawmakers to impose “guardrails.”