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

"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."AI 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 undertsand vulnerabilities.In July, China set up the World AI Cooperation Organisation, which aims to shape global AI governance. And speaking at the Brics summit in India on Sunday, Xi proposed creating a community for open-source AI.