China and the United States are competing for leadership in artificial intelligence, with neither side showing much willingness to slow development while the other continues advancing. ABC News Australia reports that the rivalry has intensified after technology executives in the United States called for caution and warned that a Chinese lead could pose risks to the US and the wider world.
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei urged Washington to restrict sales of key technology to Beijing. China’s state media dismissed such warnings as a “Cold War playbook”, while Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun accused US executives of “fearmongering”. Guo also warned that what he called “vicious competition” could disrupt global efforts to govern AI.
According to ABC News Australia, China’s resistance to a slowdown reflects its own ambitions. Beijing plans to integrate AI into 90 per cent of the country’s economy by 2030, while seeking self-sufficiency and a position in which other countries depend on Chinese infrastructure and technology. The report says China is applying a model of industry leadership it has previously used in sectors including electric vehicles and solar panels.
At the same time, Chinese officials have become more explicit about the dangers AI could create. President Xi Jinping has said AI should remain under human control. Chen Yixin, the country’s top intelligence official, wrote that deepfakes, AI-generated material and automated online trolls could be used by hostile forces in propaganda and “cognitive” campaigns against China, threatening its political, institutional and ideological security.
Chen’s article also identified risks involving warfare, social governance and attacks on critical infrastructure. ABC News Australia notes that it did not raise the same concerns about AI posing an existential threat to humanity that have been expressed in the United States.
Beijing has promoted international cooperation while also seeking influence over the rules governing AI. It established the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, which attracted about 30 countries but, according to the report, none from the West. Xi has also proposed an open-source AI community through BRICS and support for less-developed countries to access Chinese expertise. Analysts cited by ABC News Australia say meaningful engagement between Washington and Beijing will be needed to manage AI risks, but expectations for progress remain low while both countries continue competing for technological supremacy.