China's President Xi seeks to keep powerful AI on tight leash
As concerns over the possible deadly fallout of artificial intelligence (AI) grip experts, leaders, and academicians around the world, top Chinese officials including President Xi Jinping have called for greater state control over the technology to counter possible threats and problems.
During a meeting of the National Security Commission, the president and the other high-ups of the Communist Party of China agreed to "improve security governance of network data and artificial intelligence."
A number of AI experts, academicians and notable people including OpenAI CEO and Google DeepMind Tuesday warned of humanity’s extinction if the threats posed by AI to humans were not dealt with as a top global priority.
In a brief statement published on the webpage of the Centre for AI Safety Tuesday, it read: "Mitigating the risk of extinction from AI should be a global priority alongside other societal-scale risks such as pandemics and nuclear war."
According to an official statement released on Xinhua, it read: "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."
President Xi said that the “complexity and severity of national security problems faced by our country have increased dramatically.”
In recent months, China has geared up its efforts to identify threats to its national security and interests, with restrictions on foreign firms, and strengthening counter-espionage laws.
Earlier last week, the Chinese cyberspace regulator banned US Micron Technology from selling its memory chips to domestic consumers saying the chipmaker, had failed its network security review, fuelling the latest trade spat between Washington and Beijing,
Chinese regulator noted that Micron, the biggest US memory chipmaker, had failed its network security review and that it would block operators of crucial infrastructure from buying from the company.
It remained unclear what are the risks or what products from the company would be affected. In response, the United States said it would not tolerate the ban.
Additionally, China is taking steps to bring AI under state control, with a bill submitted last month requiring all AI products to undergo a thorough review before being released to the public.
According to the bill, AI products must reflect "fundamental socialist values" and "must not contain content aimed at overthrowing state power."
China's government said deepfakes -- technologies that generate images and sounds that can be disguised as being done by others -- also pose a "danger to national security and social stability."
China's goal is to become the world leader in AI by 2030. By then, the sector could contribute about $600 billion annually to China's gross domestic product, according to McKinsey estimates.