China rejects U.S. tech leaders’ calls to slow AI development over security risks

China has rejected several calls to slow further development in its artificial intelligence (AI) competition, despite calls from U.S. tech leaders and policymakers for a pause that could pose security threats worldwide.

According to Bloomberg, Guo Jiakun, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman, said at a regular briefing in Beijing on Monday that fighting further development of these new technologies will make it difficult for other nations to set safety standards in the sector.

Mr Guo said, “Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance and serve the interests of no one.”
His comments come after Dario Amodei, chief executive officer of U.S. AI firm Anthropic, called in a lengthy essay last week for other firms to “slow the pace” of developing advanced AI models.

He added that companies should add restrictions and take more time to assess the risks of AI systems. Similarly, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have also supported Mr Amodei’s call for a cautious approach in addressing the risks and threats in the further development of AI.

U.S. President Donald Trump opposed slowing the AI race, arguing that the U.S. still leads China in its competition in AI as the  “most sophisticated country in the world.”

China has also called for a global AI governance framework among the Global South. However, the race between China and the U.S. in the AI sector would likely be assessed at Washington’s summit between Trump and President Xi Jinping on September 24.