China’s Xi calls for step up of global effort in AI
While Chinese President Xi Jinping said that the development and management of artificial intelligence should be a global effort, he reiterated his objections to what he called an “exaggeration” of China’s national security concerns.
Speaking at a conference in Shanghai, Xi said artificial intelligence should not be dominated by a single nation.
The American-led restrictions have blocked China’s access to some of the world’s most advanced technologies, spurred China’s efforts to build its own know-how, and intensified the technology race between the world’s two largest economies.
“The development of artificial intelligence should be a symphony of global cooperation, not the solo performance of any one country,” Xi said in a speech at China’s annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on Friday. he said.
Among those attending were the leaders of Kazakhstan, Cambodia and Thailand, as well as UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Echoing China’s long-standing complaint, he said, “We must all together oppose the overextension of the concept of national security in the field of artificial intelligence and the placing of its own security above the security of other countries.” he said.
He said that over the next five years, China will provide 5,000 training opportunities on artificial intelligence to developing countries.
Xi said China will expand artificial intelligence cooperation with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization and BRICS countries.
It has promised to provide access to 30 countries to its artificial intelligence early warning weather system developed by China.
A day ago, 29 countries, including Pakistan, Russia and Kazakhstan, signed an agreement with China to establish the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization.
State media described it as an intergovernmental organization headquartered in Shanghai that promotes global AI governance.
More than 1,100 companies and 1,400 guests attended the annual AI conference, state media said.
During the conference, technology giant Huawei will showcase its powerful artificial intelligence computing system Atlas 950 SuperPoD.
Some technology analysts now believe that China has become an innovator in the field of artificial intelligence and is no longer just behind the United States. China’s five-year plan to 2030 prioritized advancing the frontiers of science and technology, including artificial intelligence.
Open-source AI models such as China’s DeepSeek are viewed globally as attractive and often more affordable alternatives to largely closed-source US AI models, especially in developing countries.
