AI in China: a real threat to the government?


Maxence Glineur

June 06, 2023 at 08:31

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chinese flag china © © NII / Unsplash

© NII / Unsplash

Governments around the world are struggling to find a regulatory model for generative AIs. While some are concerned with protecting the interests of their citizens, others seem to see the problem from a completely different angle.

At least that’s what Elon Musk confirms after a two-day trip to China, during which he met with senior government officials.

The need for supervision… or rather monitoring?

What if ChatGPT posed a real threat to authoritarian governments? That’s what China seems to think. Following his very popular visit to the country, the South African billionaire allowed himself a series of questions and answers on Twitter with Robert Kennedy Jr., candidate for the American presidency for the next elections. During this exchange, he spoke on the subject of artificial intelligence, at the heart of public debate for several months.

What I take away from these conversations is that China is going to put in place AI regulations in China “Summarizes Elon Musk. Unsurprisingly, he is referring here to the list of administrative measures intended to regulate AI drawn up by Xi Jinping’s government and published last April. This text emphasizes in particular the need to protect “ the values ​​of socialism “.

However, the businessman claims to have had ” very productive discussions on the risks associated with artificial intelligence and the need for some control or regulation “. If many governments and personalities like the leaders of OpenAI, publisher of ChatGPT, approve of this assertion, Elon Musk sees things here… differently.

ChatGPT AI chatbot China © Shutterstock

© Ascannio / Shutterstock

A threat to China and its inhabitants, or to foreign industrialists?

Indeed, the businessman added: I pointed out that if a very powerful digital superintelligence was developed in China, it would pose a risk to the sovereignty of the Chinese government. This declaration comes only a few days after Elon Musk suggested attaching the island of Taiwan to China… a very ill-advised interference while tensions are still growing between the two countries.

If this raises eyebrows in the United States, the billionaire reminds us that he went there to defend his interests. China, which already controls its digital space with an iron fist, seems to want to create a model of artificial intelligence in its image. And why not do it in collaboration with major international players who would have a lot to gain from it? Like Elon Musk and Tesla, for whom China is already a major market.

The businessman gives us a glimpse here of another face of generative AI such as ChatGPT: that of tools of power and propaganda with enormous potential… fruit of investments by Western companies? A real return to reality, if there ever was one.

Source : BFM TV



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