China called on the United States to establish joint controls on artificial intelligence and prevent its misuse, warning that its uncontrolled development could lead to catastrophic consequences for humanity, as competition intensifies between Beijing and Washington to lead one of the world’s most sensitive technology sectors.
In a written interview with Newsweek, China’s ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, said the two countries, as major powers in artificial intelligence, were required to work together to ensure that the technology remained under human control. His comments came after a summit between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, which the ambassador described as an “important milestone” in relations between the two countries.
Xie said artificial intelligence featured prominently in the presidents’ talks, alongside trade and strategic stability.
Chinese ambassador calls for technological cooperation between the two powers
He said China and the United States had the ability and responsibility to develop and manage the technology in a way that served humanity, stressing that continued competition did not prevent the two sides from expanding areas of cooperation. The ambassador called for each side’s strengths to be used rather than viewing the other as a threat.
He based his warning on estimates cited by the magazine from some experts and technology industry leaders, which put the risk of human extinction in the next decade because of uncontrolled AI development at between 10 and 20%, saying the risks required the major powers to co-operate and adopt common rules.
Trump rejects further restrictions on AI development
The US view does not fully correspond with the Chinese position. Trump has said that the United States would not put the “brakes” on AI development by adding more controls, and that his country was between one and one and a half years ahead of China in the sector.
Nevertheless, Xie said the two countries had agreed to launch a dialogue to exchange views on the risks and benefits of what Trump called “superintelligence”, as well as establishing a dedicated bilateral communication channel for dealing with AI-related incidents. He added that the first round of the dialogue had been held last month, with a second round due to take place next November.
Bilateral communication channels to address AI incidents
The Chinese ambassador believes the new communication channels could shift artificial intelligence from a potential area of conflict to a field of co-operation. He cited examples that he said demonstrated the potential for joint work, including a Chinese company’s contribution to containing a security incident linked to an AI model in the United States.
Xie also pointed to co-operation between a US cybersecurity company and China’s Tencent after a vulnerability was discovered in the WeChat app. He cited the two cases to stress that practical co-ordination between companies from the two countries could help respond to cross-border technological and security risks.
In response to calls for tougher US competition with China, Xie warned against turning artificial intelligence into a new arms race or a technological version of the Cold War. He said the two countries needed to establish shared “guardrails and brakes” to ensure that the technology was used to advance humanity, rather than sliding into a confrontation that could multiply the risks feared by both sides.
