Chinese state media dismisses ‘self-serving’ AI slowdown call

Chinese state-owned China Daily published an editorial on Monday (Sep 14) accusing US AI executives Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of SpaceXAI of pushing a "self-serving" and "coordinated play" to slow frontier AI development in order to preserve US dominance, after Amodei called for tighter curbs on China's model makers. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said "fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance," while Beijing released an updated AI safety governance framework from the Standardization Administration of China warning of "recursive self-improvement" risks. The dispute comes days before US and China officials are expected to hold AI discussions ahead of a Trump-Xi summit on Sep 24, and Chinese cybersecurity stocks rallied, with Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology up as much as 10 per cent and Topsec Technologies up 8 per cent.

Chinese state media dismisses ‘self-serving’ AI slowdown call It says calls to moderate frontier AI development are a ‘coordinated play’ to preserve US dominance CHINESE state media accused leading US artificial intelligence executives of using calls for slower development of frontier models https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/global/anthropic-ceo-urges-slower-ai-development-altman-musk-rally-behind-call to blunt competition from China, describing the push as a “self-serving” effort to preserve American dominance. An editorial published on Monday Sep 14 by state-owned China Daily said recent remarks from AI leaders in the US show how restrictions aimed at limiting China’s AI development are shifting to software after curbs on chips and equipment https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/us-lawmakers-propose-crackdown-chip-tool-sales-china had failed to stop companies in the Asian nation from building competitive models https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/startups-tech/technology/chinas-ai-catch-forcing-silicon-valley-cut-prices . It said calls by Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk to moderate frontier AI development amounted to a “coordinated play” intended to preserve US dominance. “The proposed coordination among the three companies sounds rather like a club whose membership rules have been drafted before the guest list is announced,” China Daily said. “A global AI-safety framework that excludes China is not quite global.” Over the weekend, Amodei called for easing the pace of AI development while urging tighter curbs on China’s model makers to maintain the US lead, citing concerns that a Chinese advantage in the technology could “pose grave danger” to the world. Both Altman and Musk backed his slowdown proposal. In response, the country’s foreign ministry criticised the tech executives’ calls. “Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance and serve the interests of no one,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun. Beijing flags tech risks The China Daily article added to criticism from Chinese state media of warnings sounded by US AI executives, even as Beijing highlighted some similar technological risks https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/international/china-spy-chief-warns-ai-risks-anthropic-ceo-urges-brakes . China on Monday released an updated AI safety governance framework to address emerging risks as the technology evolves. The document, authored by an official cybersecurity standards-setting body, said AI was showing a tendency toward “recursive self-improvement” – the same dynamic cited by Amodei in his 3,800-word essay in arguing for greater caution. “Whether the speed and direction of technological evolution may exceed human anticipation and control demands attention and vigilance,” according to the report by the Standardization Administration of China, which was drafted under the guidance of the Cyberspace Administration of China. Chinese cybersecurity stocks extended their rally on Tuesday morning. Shenzhen Sinovatio Technology jumped as much as 10 per cent on a fourth day of gains, while Topsec Technologies rose 8 per cent. The dispute over frontier technology is intensifying days before officials from the US and China are expected to hold AI discussions ahead of US President Donald Trump’s summit with Xi Jinping on Sep 24. “China and the US should cooperate where neither can manage the consequences alone,” the China Daily editorial said. “The planned AI-safety dialogue between the two sides and future high-level exchanges offer opportunities for practical engagement.” BLOOMBERG Decoding Asia newsletter: your guide to navigating Asia in a new global order. Sign up here to get Decoding Asia newsletter. Delivered to your inbox. Free. Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services