China Wants To Work With Other Countries To Develop AI

Governments and companies around the world are racing to develop their own AI models to outdo one another. China is no exception, but the country is, at the very least, willing to share in the development of the technology. This is according to a recent statement by Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, who attended the AI summit in Paris, and made comments expressing China being willing to share in the development of AI.

Willing to share

One of the key takeaways from Zhang’s speech was China’s belief that working with other countries to develop AI can help build “a community with a shared future for mankind.” Zhang also stated that China is open to working with other nations to safeguard AI security and share the benefits of AI advancements.

There are already efforts underway to create regulations that prevent AI misuse. This is alongside joint initiatives aimed at ensuring AI is developed to benefit humanity as a whole. This initiative is part of China President Xi’s Global AI Governance Initiative which was introduced in 2023. However, it remains to be seen what will become of this.

Right now, the US and China are in a trade war. This has resulted in the US sanctioning several major Chinese companies, such as Huawei. Even various countries have quickly banned or restricted DeepSeek, a rising star in the AI space.

A change in tone

China’s willingness to share and collaborate in AI development stands out, especially considering its traditional approach to technology. The country has a history of closely guarding its technological advancements. This includes strict regulations on the sharing, sale, or export of technology to other countries globally.

The country keeps a list of “core” technologies that it considers essential and prohibits their sale or export to other nations. A recent example is TikTok’s algorithm. As you may know, TikTok finds itself in a precarious position in the US. The company came close to facing a ban before US President Donald Trump intervened and granted them a 75-day reprieve.

However, Trump has been pushing for TikTok’s sale to a US company, something which China isn’t too keen on. This is why we think that Zhang’s comments on the shared development of AI technology is interesting. It is also quite a stark contrast to some of the things China has been doing so far.