Billionaire Elon Musk recently shared his thoughts on China’s interest in a cooperative international framework on artificial intelligence. Musk made these remarks during a Twitter Spaces event with two US congressmen, Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Mike Gallagher. According to Musk, China is definitely interested in working within a cooperative international framework for AI regulation.
Musk’s Advocacy for AI Regulations
Musk has been an advocate for AI regulations and oversight, including during his meetings in China. He believes that several governments are considering how to mitigate the dangers of the emerging technology. Musk’s remarks came on the day he launched his long-teased AI start-up, xAI, after arguing for months about AI’s potential for “civilisation destruction”.
Musk’s Recent Visit to China
Musk recently travelled to China and met with several high-ranking officials, including the foreign, commerce and industry ministers as well as vice Premier Ding Xuexiang. His Tesla electric car company has a factory in Shanghai. During his visit, Musk said that the Chinese government would seek to initiate AI regulations.
China’s Interim Measures for AI Industry Management
On Thursday, China issued a set of interim measures to manage the booming AI industry, paving the way for its tech companies to roll out AI services. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stated that China attached great importance to the development and governance of AI and “advocates adhering to the principle of human-centred intelligence and creating artificial intelligence for good”.
China’s Willingness to Cooperate on AI Governance
Wang also mentioned that “China is willing to enhance communication and exchanges with the international community on AI security governance, promote the establishment of an international mechanism with universal participation, and form a governance framework and standards that share broad consensus”. This was in response to a question about Musk’s comments.
The Global Race for AI Regulation
Several governments are considering how to mitigate the dangers of the emerging technology, which has experienced a boom in investment and consumer popularity in recent months after the release of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. Regulators globally have been scrambling to draw up rules governing the use of generative AI, which can create text and images. Its impact has been compared to that of the internet.