Xi Sees China as a Future Leader in Global AI Race

Chinese President Xi Jinping unveiled his vision for the country to assume a leadership role in AI. He called for increased international cooperation and promotion of open-source technology while aiming at the US over attempts to govern the sector.

Xi made the comments in a speech at the World AI Conference in Shanghai, where it was announced that China, Brazil, Russia, and Indonesia are among 30 countries to have joined the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organisation. Chinese state media describe the new group as an intergovernmental organisation headquartered in Shanghai to promote global AI governance.

Talking about the new group, Xi said AI should not be a solo performance by one country, but rather a symphony of global cooperation. He said that the initiative is a response to the call of the Global South to unite the international community in promoting development and governance of AI, and it will become a major milestone in the history of artificial intelligence development.

To further support this, Xi said China will provide 5,000 training opportunities in AI-related fields for developing countries, in addition to establishing AI application cooperation centres. In his speech, Xi noted that, as AI continues to develop at staggering speed, there was a greater need for positive direction. “We must more precisely grasp the scale of oversight and governance, and more promptly refine measures to forestall loss of control.”

While not naming the US directly, Xi said that countries should oppose overstretching the national security concept in the field of AI, or placing one country’s security over that of others. XI continued to state he was committed to promoting cooperation, bridging the digital divide, promoting sustainable development, and avoiding creating new historical injustices in the field of AI. He also called on the countries to seize this rare historical opportunity, encourage open source and open collaboration, in turn upgrading traditional industries, and ensure AI can empower all sectors.