The upcoming “Artificial Intelligence Safety Summit,” scheduled for the first week of November at Bletchley Park, has stirred controversy and debate over the invitation extended to China. The decision to include China in this critical event has faced backlash from some members of the UK government and international observers who question the wisdom of engaging with China in the field of artificial intelligence.
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt defends China’s participation
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, speaking on a Politico podcast, emphasized that while China is invited to the AI summit, it will not be part of every aspect of the event. Mr. Hunt argued that it is imprudent to ignore China, the world’s second-largest economy, in discussions about the future of artificial intelligence. He clarified that the intention is to engage in dialogue while remaining open about practices that do not align with the values of the summit.
Notably, critics of China’s participation, including former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith and Luke de Pulford, the executive director of the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, expressed reservations. They argue that China’s ambitions in merging biotechnology with AI pose a significant threat to the free world. China’s stance on harnessing AI for national security also raised concerns, particularly at a time when espionage allegations involving a parliamentary researcher with alleged links to China have surfaced.
The controversy surrounding China’s involvement in the AI summit reflects a broader division within the UK government. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s decision to invite China to the summit has defied calls from some Conservative backbenchers to exclude China due to perceived threats to Western interests. This division in the government’s approach towards Beijing becomes even more pronounced in the context of recent allegations of a “Chinese spy” operating in Parliament.
Tim Lougton, a Tory MP who has been sanctioned by China for his outspoken stance on human rights abuses, offered a pragmatic perspective. He argued that China must be part of any international effort to establish protocols for regulating AI, emphasizing that engagement with China does not imply blind trust in their compliance.
International concerns
The controversy surrounding China’s involvement in the AI summit also extends to international concerns. While the United States is grappling with how to protect against the AI threat posed by China, the UK’s decision to collaborate with China in this field has raised eyebrows. Critics argue that such cooperation comes at an inopportune time, given the ongoing espionage row and China’s explicit intent to leverage AI for national security.
