China says US targeting of AI harms healthy development

China says US targeting of AI harms healthy development is profiled by BTW Media because published evidence links it to internet infrastructure, governance, operational dependencies, or market visibility.

• China’s UN envoy says that United States’ restrictions on Chinese investments in AI will divide the world in terms of AI standards and rules.
• The UN General Assembly has called for the development of safe, reliable and trustworthy AI systems.

OUR TAKE
After President Joe Biden signs an executive order last August, the Treasury Department issues new rules aimed at preventing American technology from helping the Chinese develop cutting-edge technologies and dominate global markets.
–Zora Lin, BTW reporter

What happened

United States restrictions on certain Chinese investments in AI are not conducive to the healthy development of the technology and will be divisive in terms of global governance, China’s UN envoy says on Monday.

U.S. issues draft rules for banning or requiring notification of certain investments in AI and other technology sectors in China last month that could threaten U.S. national security.

“We are firmly opposed to these sanctions,” Chinese U.N. Ambassador Fu Cong tells reporters after the 193-member U.N. General Assembly adopted by consensus a Chinese-drafted resolution aimed at boosting international cooperation on AI capacity-building.

Fu Cong says that the stance or decision of the US government itself will not help the healthy development of AI technology, but will divide the world in terms of AI standards and rules.

Also read: OpenAI terminates API service to China

Also read: U.S. new rules prohibit investment in Chinese AI, tech sector

Why it’s important

The reaction of China’s UN envoy to the US restrictions on Chinese investment in AI shows the geopolitics and international competition behind the development of AI technology, highlighting the challenges the country faces in formulating and implementing AI policies, especially how to build cooperation and consensus on a global scale.

The US approach will lead to the fragmentation of AI standards and rules, which may affect the development and application of AI technology globally, increasing the operational complexity of multinational enterprises and research institutions.

Artificial intelligence has become one of the frontiers of national security and economic competition. National policies and actions in the field of AI not only affect the direction of technology development, but also may shape the global economic and political landscape.