U.S. cites 'misuse' of AI by China in first dialogue; Beijing protests Washington's restrictions

U.S. officials raised concerns about China’s “misuse of AI” while Beijing’s representatives rebuked Washington over “restrictions and pressure” on AI.

U.S. officials raised concerns about China's “misuse of AI” while Beijing's representatives rebuked Washington over "restrictions and pressure" on artificial intelligence, the governments said separately Wednesday, a day after a meeting in Geneva on the technology.

Summaries of the closed-door talks between high-level envoys, which covered AI's risks and ways to manage it, hinted at the tension between Beijing and Washington over the rapidly advancing technology that has become another flashpoint in bilateral relations.

China and the United States “exchanged perspectives on their respective approaches to AI safety and risk management” in the “candid and constructive” discussions a day earlier, National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. Beijing said the two sides exchanged views “in-depth, professionally, and constructively.”

The first such U.S.-China talks on AI were the product of a November meeting between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping in San Francisco. The talks testified to concerns and hopes about the promising but potentially perilous new technology.

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“The United States underscored the importance of ensuring AI systems are safe, secure and trustworthy in order to realize these benefits of AI — and of continuing to build global consensus on that basis,” Watson said. Referring to the People's Republic of China, she added: “The United States also raised concerns over the misuse of AI, including by the PRC.”

She didn't elaborate on the type of misuse or other actors behind it.