The Chinese government has announced plans to introduce regulations to govern the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in various industries. The move is aimed at ensuring the safe and controllable application of AI services, which the government considers to be a strategic industry. To address ethical issues related to the implementation of AI and other transformational technologies, the government has introduced regulations. Minister Wang Zhigang has mentioned that they will be closely monitoring the progress of AI in the long-term as well to better comprehend any potential concerns.
The announcement comes amid a surge of interest in AI-driven technologies, including OpenAI’s conversational bot, ChatGPT. The bot has been popular with users, prompting numerous American and Chinese corporations to develop similar projects. However, regulators in China have reportedly forced apps and websites to terminate services that route users to ChatGPT, citing content and data security concerns.
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The introduction of regulations is expected to provide clearer ground rules for future services, which could benefit companies such as Baidu Inc. The search giant’s shares soared following reports of its plans to develop a ChatGPT-like service. Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. has also announced plans to integrate generative AI into several of its products.
China and the US are vying for the top spot in AI, reflecting a larger race for technological dominance and geopolitical authority. Some experts believe that China has the advantage due to the sheer amounts of data required to train AI platforms.
However, there are concerns about how Beijing views private sector involvement in the sensitive field of AI, given the government’s suspicion of powerful internet firms. Although using ChatGPT can be beneficial, some people have raised concerns about the risks associated with it, such as its capacity to produce disturbing answers and to take away job opportunities from humans.
According to Minister Wang, it will take time to draw up Chinese regulations, which will come after the government has a better understanding of the technology. The regulatory measures are intended to ensure that the development and use of AI in China are carried out in an ethical manner.
