China is entering into a “suicidal race” with America to excel in artificial intelligence

China’s race to develop artificial intelligence may put it ahead of the United States, but such technology may also risk reducing the ruling Communist Party’s grip on the world’s second-largest economy, according to CNBC.

Artificial intelligence race

This is the opinion of prominent artificial intelligence scientist Max Tegmark, who said: “Artificial general intelligence (AGI) is closer than we think and the geopolitical battle between the United States and China in the AI ​​race is a suicidal one.”
Although there is no single definition of artificial general intelligence, it is widely understood to refer to artificial intelligence that can outperform humans.

Attempts to reach human intelligence levels

Apps like GBT Chat that allow users to push a chatbot for answers have gained huge popularity but many AI companies are racing to develop the next level with AI that is at or close to human level intelligence.

Competition with technology companies

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, said that artificial general intelligence could be achieved by 2025.
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While there are other big names in the technology sector who also believe that AGI is close, others believe that true AGI is still a long way away.
In addition to competition between technology companies, there is also a geopolitical battle taking place between the United States and China for dominance in areas from artificial intelligence to chips.

Controlling artificial intelligence technologies

During an interview with CNBC, Tegmark said, “I think this geopolitical battle to build AGI first is a war of hope, and I call it a war of hope because it is driven by an illusory hope that we can control AGI.”
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Tegmark is president of the Future Life Institute, a think tank that wrote a letter last year calling on AI labs to stop developing advanced AI systems.
The letter was signed by big names in the technology world, including Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who previously said that Tegmark’s concern that artificial intelligence is advancing rapidly with very few guardrails means that there is no way to control it if… He began to outperform humans.

China’s fears of artificial intelligence

According to Tegmark, China has little incentive to build artificial general intelligence.
The AI ​​scientist cited a story Elon Musk told him about a “high-level meeting” the Tesla CEO held with Chinese government officials in early 2023.
Musk told the Chinese government that if artificial general intelligence is built, China “will not be under the control of the Communist Party, but under the control of superintelligence.”
Tegmark stated: “The United States does not need to convince China not to build general artificial intelligence. Even if the United States did not exist, the Chinese government would have an incentive not to build general artificial intelligence because it wants to be in control.”

China’s approach to artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence is a strategic priority for the Chinese government, as the country’s largest companies, such as Alibaba, seek to enhance their capabilities in this field.
Huawei and Tencent have also worked to develop their own artificial intelligence models.
China is also among the first countries in the world to introduce regulation around various aspects of artificial intelligence. The country’s Internet is subject to heavy censorship and any information that appears to contradict Beijing’s ideology is blocked. GPT chat produced by OpenAI was even banned. It is well known that chatbots in China will not answer questions about politics and topics deemed sensitive by the Communist Party.
China’s approach to AI is thus an attempt to drive innovation while simultaneously balancing its own interests.
“I don’t think China will limit its capabilities in the field of artificial intelligence. Rather, it will try to dominate AGI while working to create a technical regulatory apparatus that limits what AGI is allowed to do domestically,” said Kendra Schaefer, a partner at consulting firm Trivium China.

A battle between the United States and China

Despite Tegmark’s view that the race to build artificial general intelligence is a “war of hope,” geopolitics remains at the forefront and the core issue between the United States and China is related to economics and technology development.
Prakash said: “Through artificial intelligence, China hopes to change the balance of power in various parts of the world, such as creating a new export model. In parallel, China wants to strengthen its economy in new ways, from government efficiency to business applications.”