China launches AI framework to improve ‘black box’ transparency and raise standards

China has pledged to improve the accuracy, reliability and transparency of AI through a new national evaluation framework, as policymakers move to establish common standards for assessing the fast-evolving technology.New guidelines released by the Central Government said Beijing would create a common yardstick for AI, allowing models, computing power and data quality to be measured and compared under a unified national standard.The move comes as Artificial Intelligence plays an increasingly important role in the world’s second-largest economy, both as a driver of growth and a crucial arena of geopolitical competition. But while Beijing has stepped up efforts in recent years to build indigenous AI research capabilities and domestic standards-setting tools, the rapidly evolving technology has fuelled unease.