China’s Xi says AI ‘should not be a solo performance by a single country’

The Chinese leader called for more international cooperation in developing the technology at a conference in Shanghai.Artificial Intelligence should not be dominated by one country, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said, urging international cooperation on development at a major conference in Shanghai.Xi also emphasised the importance of a “people-centred” approach to AI technology in his keynote address at the opening ceremony of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference on Friday.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3China takes US crown for world’s fastest supercomputerlist 2 of 3Who will control Africa’s AI infrastructure, and at what cost?list 3 of 3Hundreds of experts warn the world must prepare now for AI’s impactend of listThe conference showcases the cutting-edge technology Xi hopes will soon rival that of the United States.Chinese AI models are gaining ground on the most powerful offerings from the US, attracting global users with lower costs.But how to govern the booming sector has become a topic of debate amid concerns over the deployment of AI in military combat and its use by hackers or criminals.In his address, Xi spoke of China’s role in ensuring equitable access to AI capacity-building for developing countries to prevent the creation of “new historical injustices”.To that end, he announced China’s plans to cooperate with international bodies, including from Africa, Latin America, Asia and BRICS countries, to provide AI-related opportunities.“AI development should not be a solo performance by a single country, but a symphony of international cooperation,” Xi said. “We should jointly oppose overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI or placing one country’s security over that of others.”‘Ensure AI is always under human control’The US and European Union have imposed restrictions on Chinese tech imports, citing national security concerns, while recent tussles between Washington and American AI labs have raised questions about who controls access to top technology.