In their first formal bilateral talks on artificial intelligence, US officials raised concerns over China’s “misuse” of the technology, the White House announced on Wednesday. The discussions took place in Geneva on Tuesday, where the US delegation emphasized the importance of maintaining open lines of communication on AI risk and safety with their Chinese counterparts.
White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson highlighted the US’s worries about China’s access to AI technology, citing fears that it could be used for malicious purposes such as election interference, bioweapons development, and cyberattacks. The State Department has urged China and Russia to commit to human decision-making on deploying nuclear weapons, rather than relying on artificial intelligence.
President Joe Biden’s administration is reportedly planning to implement safeguards around advanced AI models to protect US interests from potential threats posed by China and Russia. A bipartisan group of lawmakers recently introduced a bill to facilitate the imposition of export controls on AI models, while senators, including Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, are advocating for increased government research funding in artificial intelligence.
The United States has already taken steps to restrict the transfer of American AI chips and tools to China, with proposed rules requiring US cloud companies to report foreign customers using their services to train powerful AI models. Meanwhile, China has been utilizing open source models from the West and acquiring advanced American AI chips, raising concerns about the potential misuse of AI technology.
As the superpowers navigate the complex landscape of AI development and deployment, the discussions underscore the growing importance of responsible management and regulation of artificial intelligence to prevent its misuse for harmful purposes.