China backs global AI governance amid tech

What happened

China on Tuesday called for stronger "global governance" of artificial intelligence, saying all countries should work together to develop the technology for the benefit of humanity and prevent it from "getting out of control", amid stark warnings from leading AI researchers and industry figures about its potential risks.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also called for caution over the pace of development, saying progress in AI has been rapid and will continue to be so, but "it should be slower".

Why it matters

"We noted recent remarks by some in the US AI industry," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said, responding to questions about concerns raised by AI experts over the dangers posed by the rapidly developing technology.

"As AI develops at an incredible speed, it's all the more important to stay committed to developing AI for the positive, for good, and for the benefits of the people, to calibrate regulation and governance on AI, and to promptly strengthen safeguards to prevent it from getting out of control," he said.

"AI development and governance require the practice of true multilateralism, with all countries working together to build a global governance framework on broad-based consensus," he said. "China stands ready to join hands with all countries to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance, and develop AI for good and for all," he said.

Several top AI researchers and industry figures have warned that rapid and largely unhindered development of the technology could pose unprecedented risks to humanity. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who recently left the company after previously working at OpenAI, has publicly warned that people developing advanced AI systems seriously believe the technology could potentially kill humanity by the end of the decade.

What to watch

"We are committed to holding on to the bottom line of security, and we have been making continued efforts to improve laws and regulations, policies, application norms, ethics and rules to prevent the abuse and misuse of AI, and ensure that AI is safe, reliable and controllable," he said.

AI global governance is likely to figure in the upcoming talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Washington. "