AI Safety Summit | US and China Declare Cooperation at UK AI Security Summit, but Still Compete Secretly

At the inaugural AI Safety Summit in the UK, senior officials from the United States and China gathered, showcasing a rare spirit of cooperation. However, the competition between the two technological powerhouses in the field of artificial intelligence remains intense.

US and China Sign "Bletchley Declaration" to Address AI Risks

According to a report by Time, the inaugural AI Safety Summit was recently held in the UK, drawing representatives and tech industry leaders from around the world, including senior officials from long-time competitors: the United States and China. US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and Chinese Vice Minister of Science and Technology Wu Chaohui appeared together at the opening plenary session on Wednesday, demonstrating potential areas of cooperation between the two countries in the field of AI.

Both the US and China are among the 29 countries that signed the "Bletchley Declaration," which acknowledges the risks posed by the development of AI and commits to international cooperation to identify and mitigate these risks, marking a significant step towards establishing international AI norms. However, behind this cooperation, tensions between the two AI superpowers, the US and China, are escalating, with their technological competition for supremacy becoming a major focus of recent strained relations.

China's Advancements in AI Trigger Defense Restrictions from the US

Since Google Deepmind made a significant AI breakthrough in 2017, China has elevated AI development to a national priority, setting out a new generation AI development plan aimed at achieving significant progress by 2025 and securing global leadership in the AI field by 2030.

The US has expressed concerns about this development, fearing that China may surpass its advantage in the field of AI and has thus strengthened restrictions on China's access to US technology. In October of last year, the US Department of Commerce announced new restrictions further limiting the sale and resale of advanced AI chips and manufacturing equipment to China.

In response, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs accused the US of violating market competition principles. Despite this, experts view the UK summit as a starting point for signaling cooperation between the two sides, but are concerned that tensions between the US and China could hinder the establishment of global AI norms.

Despite Lagging Behind in AI Technology, China is Catching Up Rapidly

Professor Jeffrey Ding from George Washington University pointed out the crucial role of China's participation in this summit, as both China and the US are major developers of certain cutting-edge AI models. UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak faced criticism from former prime ministers for inviting China to the summit. Some UK lawmakers questioned whether Beijing, viewed by the West as a technological competitor and military threat, should be included in discussions on sensitive technologies.

He believes that there is "no true AI strategy that does not at least attempt to cooperate with leading AI countries globally," a point he emphasized in a conversation with Tesla founder Elon Musk after the summit.

Meanwhile, Baidu has launched a product similar to ChatGPT called ErnieBot, which still lags behind its US counterpart in technical capabilities, even when using Chinese prompts. However, Professor Jeffrey Ding believes that given the significant investments by Chinese tech companies in catching up, this gap may soon narrow. The convening of this summit not only signifies an increased awareness of AI security internationally but also highlights the complex relationship of competition and cooperation between the US and China in the global technology arena.

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