With China making seemingly rapid gains in A.I., the burning question is: What is the U.S. doing about it? Many are using the analogy of A.I. development as “the new space race,” with America falling behind just as it did when the Soviets launched Sputnik in 1957. China has recently invested heavily in AI, between government projects and initiatives led by companies like Alibaba.
This issue has also caught the attention of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, best known for their “doomsday clock” that measures how close humanity is to its own destruction (currently ‘two minutes to midnight’). They note that China is investing heavily in its own A.I. research, as well as in private U.S. companies. There is, of course, risk of this turning into an arms race, which could be catastrophic.
You can also read more about the specifics of China’s AI policy in a report by the Future of Humanity Institute, which you can read here.
China’s stated desire to dominate AI is of grave concern to AIWS. We believe that any attempt to unilaterally set standards in this new field is dangerous and counterproductive. China wants to set and dominate on AI standards, which could be very dangerous for the world. Instead, democratic states should collaborate extensively and openly to ensure that this technology remains safe, stable, and used in service to humanity.
