Gerui Wang

Opinion | As US mulls AI guard rails, China and France are offering a different playbook

Sino-French cooperation offers a way to shift from a mindset of confrontation to collaboration and could help the US-led AI industry become more inclusive

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Chinese President Xi Jinping and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, at a press meeting to note 60 years of Sino-French diplomatic relations, in Paris, France, on May 6. Photo: Xinhua

Gerui Wang

Published: 5:30am, 16 May 2024

Last week, the leaders of France and China met in Paris and agreed to cooperate on the governance of artificial intelligence (AI). Amid geopolitical turmoil, regional wars and the intensifying competition over AI technology and supercomputing chips, it is essential to initiate an international framework for responsible AI deployment.

The Sino-French declaration offers a playbook on how to shift from a mindset of confrontation to collaboration. This cooperation could shape the US-led AI industry into one that is more inclusive.

As trade disputes with Europe emerge, in part due to the strong performance of China’s electric vehicles, world leaders must resist the tendency to escalate tensions or decouple from China. Seeking opportunities to collaborate and explore common interests is essential to maintaining peaceful development.

Given AI’s potential for mass destruction, international consensus and regulation is needed. The 1968 Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons was pivotal for the goal of nuclear disarmament. Though the Sino-French AI declaration makes no mention of weapons, it is consistent with the spirit of recent declarations by several countries to never let AI control nuclear weapons.

International prohibitions on the military use of AI should be established, and an effective framework to address cybersecurity and privacy issues is urgently needed.

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On the other hand, international exchange and collaboration are also required to advance AI for good. This is reflected in the Sino-French statement which recognised that benefits of AI in sustainable development, biodiversity protection, climate solutions, public health and education.