U.S. – Commerce secretary: Don’t „let China write the AI rules“

U.S. – Commerce secretary: Don’t „let China write the AI rules“

18. Juli 2021 0 Von Horst Buchwald

U.S. – Commerce secretary: Don’t „let China write the AI rules“

Washington, 7/18/2021

The U.S. and its allies should work together to counter China in AI and ensure that AI technologies are consistent with democratic values, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said at the Global Emerging Technology Summit.

Raimondo stressed that AI should be developed and regulated in a way that ensures openness, respect for privacy and human rights, and protection of intellectual property. That is why “ we cannot allow China to write the rules around AI,“ Raimondo said.

At the conference, organized by the National Security Commission on Artificial Intelligence, she argued that the newly formed U.S.-EU Trade and Technology Council (TCC) could provide a forum to address issues around innovation in AI, the digital economy and other emerging technologies.

The Trump – administration had already blacklisted several Chinese AI companies in recent years, barring them from purchasing certain U.S. high-tech products. Last week, the department blacklisted 14 Chinese companies and other entities for alleged human rights abuses and high-tech surveillance in Xinjiang province, including facial recognition company DeepGlint.

The National Artificial Intelligence Security Commission was established in 2018. It was chaired by former Google – CEO Eric Schmidt. Other members include Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Microsoft Chief Scientific Officer Eric Horvitz and Google Cloud AI chief Andrew Moore.

In March, the commission issued a 756 – page final report. The authors argue that the U.S. is unprepared to compete in the new age of artificial intelligence and that it risks falling behind China and other superpowers.

The report stresses that the U.S. needs to invest in AI-capable weapons . „Big decisions“ must be made to accelerate AI innovation in favor of the U.S. and to protect against malicious AI applications such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns backed by Russia and China, it said.

The commission also calls for a White House-led strategy to establish standards for responsible AI, promote research and development, and deter threats, arguing that China’s domestic AI „sets a chilling precedent for anyone in the world who values individual liberty.“