Sino-US AI cooperation necessary for the common good of humanity: China Daily editorial

Detailed summary

The AI dialogue between China and the US, if it proceeds smoothly, would represent a major move in global AI governance. By fostering transparency and collaboration, both nations…

When US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent spoke about artificial intelligence cooperation with China at the National Committee on US-China Relations in New York on Tuesday, he adopted a tone of guarded pragmatism, calling for building "a constructive relationship on the basis of balance and reciprocity".

Referring to the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Economic Leaders' Meeting to be held in Shenzhen this month, he expressed hope that it would advance a new bilateral dialogue on artificial intelligence.

Bessent highlighted that the dialogue aims to guard against shared risks and "prevent misunderstandings between our two systems". Both countries expect to exchange best practices for evaluating and testing advanced models before their release, ensuring that human judgment remains in control of this technology, he said, adding that the two sides have agreed to establish a direct channel for alerting each other of serious incidents.

The AI dialogue between China and the US, if it proceeds smoothly, would represent a major move in global AI governance. By fostering transparency and collaboration, both nations can enhance mutual trust and mitigate potential risks, contributing to the development of the technology and the common good of humanity.

Yet the current tech blockade and restrictions imposed on China by the US have created challenges for AI collaboration and triggered concerns in US industry circles. Microsoft, along with other companies and trade groups, has reportedly urged the US administration to reconsider plans to ban imports from China of a crucial component used in AI data centers. They argue that such a ban could significantly undermine the US' competitive edge in the AI race by further delaying the rollout of data centers.

Washington has been mulling bans on imports of new models of Chinese optical transceivers, which enable data to travel over fiber-optic cables at light speed within data centers.

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