Leading envoys from China and the United States met in closed-door meetings in Geneva on Tuesday to discuss national strategies for addressing the opportunities and risks associated with developing artificial intelligence technology.
Recently, America put a ban on exports of semiconductors to China for companies like Nvidia, which are the leading players in the AI market. The US says that it wants to keep China away from its technology, but experts assume that the US wants to slow down China’s progress in AI advancement.
China-US bilateral diplomacy
The goal of the talks, which Presidents Xi Jinping and Joe Biden decided to start in 2023, is to start a bilateral conversation on a rapidly developing technology that already has an impact on trade, security, politics, lifestyles, and culture, among other areas, between the two largest economies in the world and growing geopolitical rivals.
According to American technology experts, the conference, which was chaired by senior White House and State Department officials, may provide some insight into Beijing’s views on artificial intelligence (AI) in the midst of China’s traditionally reserved attitude toward the technology, according to AP.
Experts on the subject have characterized the meeting as an introductory session that will probably produce few tangible outcomes but will get the two sides close enough so that they start talking at least.
Jason Glassberg, co-founder of Washington-based Casaba Security, said in an email that,
“What’s most important right now is that both sides realize they each have a lot to lose if AI becomes weaponized or abused.”
He also added,
“All parties involved are equally at risk. Right now, one of the biggest areas of risk is with deepfakes, particularly for use in disinformation campaigns.”
Source: AP.
Geneva hosts the inaugural AI talks
Glassberg noted that AI-generated threats can be as dangerous for the People’s Republic of China as they are for the United States.
It was not clear why the meeting was held in Geneva, despite the fact that the globally known Swiss city promotes itself as a center for international organizations, the United Nations, and diplomacy.
Later this month, the city will host the annual “AI for Good” conference of the Geneva-based International Telecommunications Union, a U.N. organization that was previously led by China’s Houlin Zhao and is currently led by American Doreen Bodgan-Martin.
The gathering is the first under an intergovernmental discussion on artificial intelligence that was decided upon during Xi and Biden’s multifaceted meeting in San Francisco six months ago.
The American government has also worked to regulate technology while encouraging its advancement in the hopes that it will boost employment and the nation’s economy.
Western experts have said that China’s government, at the moment, has maintained secrecy on AI uses as it has real or potential deployments in military and surveillance undertakings under the ruling Communist Party.
U.S. officials announced that they will outline plans to reduce potential risks associated with the technology, including mandating safety testing of AI products and forging voluntary agreements with the top businesses in the industry.
