China criticises idea it is in 'malicious competition' over AI

China flag

China has hit out against what it has called "threat narratives" over AI governance and warned against "engaging in confrontation and malicious competition".

It follows Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei's calls for a slowdown in AI development - but in a way that prevents China from pulling ahead in the AI race.

Over the past week, industry insiders at the leading US artificial intelligence labs have been warning in extremely stark terms about the potential threat AI poses, with some saying it could wipe out humanity.

But US President Donald Trump has said that his priority is making sure the US develops the tech faster than China.

On Monday, China's foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters that "narratives of threat, confrontation, and malicious competition serve only to disrupt the process of global AI governance and are not in anyone's interest".

"All parties should work together to advance AI in a manner that is open, inclusive, beneficial to all, and oriented toward the good," he added.

His comments highlight the difficulties in getting an agreement between the world's two leading AI powers.

An agreement between the US and China to regulate AI development is "next to impossible", says Chang Jun Yan, an assistant professor with the military studies programme at Singapore's S Rajaratnam School of International Studies.

"As part of each state's core national security interests, cooperation in taking things slower and more safely in relation to AI, is very, very unlikely."

Artificial intelligence now sits at the heart of the US-China rivalry as the world's two largest economies seek to gain an edge in advanced tech. Despite US export bans on critical chips, Chinese AI innovation has been expanding, driven by open-source technology and Beijing's backing.

Many experts believe the US is still ahead, and Chinese firms are trying to catch up as they struggle to raise the hundreds of billions of dollars that investors are ploughing into American AI.

But Beijing, including Chinese leader Xi Jinping himself, has also spoken about the risks posed by AI. China must "balance development and security", and introduce and improve relevant laws and ethical guidelines, and strengthen prevention of risks, to "safeguard the interests of the people and national security", state security minister Chen Yixin wrote on Sunday.

He warned of the dangers of "hostile forces" such as foreign intelligence using AI and called for international cooperation.

"There are strong signals that Washington and Beijing share an understanding of frontier risks," Kenton Thibaut, a senior resident China fellow at the Atlantic Council, wrote recently.

China has "technical reasons" to work with the US, she argues, because its developers would be able to see how their models are deployed outside China, and detect and understand vulnerabilities. – BBC News