Agreement between China, EU, US and UK on risks of AI

According to the Chinese Global TimesChina, the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union signed a declaration in the United Kingdom. Artificial Intelligence (AI) poses a catastrophic risk to humanityReferring to such risks as “the need for international action”.

Chinese AI experts said the report signals that the future model for dealing with AI-related risks is evolving with China’s participation.

In the future, China’s experience in AI governance will serve as a model for the international community, especially the Global South, as the Chinese experience offers an alternative to the Western approach and shows Beijing’s unique model of seeking a balance between regulating AI and protecting innovation. , Chinese AI experts profile.

However, because China is too big to ignore when it comes to global AI cooperation, analysts have noted that the West is trying to attract China into cooperation in some areas while alienating and oppressing China in others. This hypocritical approach will only affect global cooperation in AI and ultimately harm these countries.

Twenty-eight governments signed the Bletchley Declaration on the first day of the AI ​​Security Summit in the United Kingdom, the Guardian reported Wednesday local time. The countries agreed to work together on AI security research, even amid signs that the US and the UK are racing to create new regulations.

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak enthusiastically greeted the report, calling it “pretty incredible”.

Ahead of his own appearance at the summit on Thursday, the prime minister said: “There will be nothing more important to our children and grandchildren’s future than technological advances like artificial intelligence.”

Wu Zhaohui, China’s Vice Minister of Science and Technology, spoke at the opening of the summit on Wednesday, and the Chinese delegation participated in discussions on AI security and other topics.

The Chinese delegation urged all parties to increase the representation of developing countries in global AI governance and continue to narrow the intelligence and management capacity gap.

According to Wu’s speech posted on the official website, the Chinese side expressed its willingness to cooperate with all parties to strengthen communication and exchanges in AI security management. of the Ministry of Science and Technology on Wednesday.

The Chinese representatives also noted that China is ready to cooperate with all parties to implement the Global Development Initiative, Global Security Initiative and Global Civilization Initiative, develop AI technology, improve humanity, and build a global community with a shared future.

A note on the world from China

The Bletchley Declaration indicates that the future model for dealing with risks related to artificial intelligence (AI) has been officially created, said Li Zhonggui, vice president of the Institute for Cyber ​​Security and Legal Regulation of Artificial Intelligence under the University of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Nanjing, told the Global Times on Thursday.

Although countries have different approaches to AI governance, Li said, “When the international community looks back on the future of AI governance, the first thing they will remember is this announcement.”

China’s participation and Wu’s comments have been highlighted in many international headlines, as many experts consider China’s participation to be important. UK Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden highlighted that China’s presence as a “major power in AI” is important.

China’s involvement in the global regulation of artificial intelligence has double meanings – on the one hand, China can represent the voice of the Global South, and on the other hand, it offers a different approach than the West.

As there is already a large gap between the Global South and Global North in terms of AI technology, governance must ensure that this gap does not widen further,” Li noted. “China’s experience in managing this technology can provide pointers. For others, especially developing countries.”

In October, China launched the Global AI Governance Initiative, which formally outlined China’s proposals for AI governance in three areas: AI development, security and governance, according to Chinese officials.

In October, the country announced pilot ethics review measures in science and technology. The pilot measures stipulate that institutions and departments engaged in scientific activities in life sciences, medicine, artificial intelligence and other fields must establish a research content, scientific and technical ethics review committee covering important areas of ethics in science and technology.

Regarding China’s different approach to AI governance, the EU adopts a risk-based approach, i.e. preemptively imposing restrictions, while China allows the commercial use of AI technology first and establishes regulations when necessary. “China’s approach offers more room for innovation to flourish.”

Currently, China has at least 130 language models launched by major companies including Alibaba and Tencent, representing 40% of the global total, just behind the US’s 50% share, brokerage CLSA said on Monday, as cited by Reuters.

unfair competition

Ahead of the AI ​​Security Summit, there were widespread concerns about whether it would be overshadowed by fierce competition among major powers for global AI governance.

“There are some sessions where we have like-minded countries working together, so it may not be appropriate for China to participate,” Dowden told Bloomberg Television on Wednesday.

The comments are in line with earlier reports that the UK government was considering banning Chinese representatives from half of the sessions, citing baseless excuses such as Beijing’s “espionage” against Western governments.

Qin An, deputy director of China’s Police Law’s Anti-Terrorism and Cyber ​​Security Governance Expert Group, told the Global Times on Thursday that the West’s tendency to incite conflict has been proven once again.

AI governance requires the participation of the entire international community. However, these self-described “like-minded” countries still follow the US mindset and strategy of building a “tight circle” of key allies against China, Qin said.