China warns of AI risks, calls for strengthening national security

The statement, issued after Tuesday's meeting, underscored China's determination to take global leadership in advanced technologies and concerns about the potential political and social harm of those technologies.

China warns of risks; some call for increased national security (Figure 1) — Chinese President Xi Jinping. Photo: NBC

Previously, scientists and technology leaders in the US, including senior executives at Microsoft and Google, also issued warnings about the risks that artificial intelligence poses to humanity.

Xinhua News Agency reported that the meeting in Beijing discussed the need for “special efforts to safeguard political security and improve the management of internet data security and artificial intelligence.”

President Xi Jinping has called for “always being keenly aware of the complex and challenging situations facing national security… China needs a new development model with a new security structure”.

"The most recent Party meeting stressed the need to assess potential risks, implement preventive measures, protect people's interests and national security, and ensure the safety, reliability, and controllability of AI," the Beijing Youth Daily reported on Tuesday.

Concerns about artificial intelligence systems becoming smarter than humans and spiraling out of control are growing, especially with large-scale language models like ChatGPT.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, maker of ChatGPT, and Geoffrey Hinton, a computer scientist known as the father of artificial intelligence, were among hundreds of leading figures who signed a statement Tuesday posted on the Center for AI Safety website.

"Minimizing the risk of extinction due to AI must be a global priority alongside other societal risks such as pandemics and nuclear war," the statement said.

More than 1,000 researchers and scientists, including Elon Musk, signed a letter earlier this year calling for a six-month pause in AI development.

The letter said AI poses “profound risks to society and humanity” and some stakeholders have proposed a UN-led treaty to regulate the technology.

As early as 2018, China warned of the need to regulate AI, but still funded large-scale expansion in the field as part of its global pioneering efforts.

The risks of AI are seen primarily in its potential to control robots, autonomous weapons, financial instruments, and computers managing power grids, medical centers, transportation networks, and other critical infrastructure.

Hoang Ton (according to AP)

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