Keeping China out of America’s nascent AI industry

The U.S. government is working to comply with President Joe Biden’s executive order to implement “the safe, secure, and reliable development and use of artificial intelligence,” and the contractors it partners with to achieve this objective are must ensure that it is cut off. government.

The Chinese Communist Party recognizes AI as paramount to its economic and military ambitions. The People’s Liberation Army’s Academy of Military Sciences, National Defense University, and National Defense Technology University have even said that AI and intelligent weapons could determine the winners of future wars. To this end, President Xi Jinping is accelerating funding for AI weapons development projects in the People’s Liberation Army’s Air Force, Army, Navy, and Rocket Force. The US Department of Defense similarly recognizes that AI will “change society and ultimately the nature of war,” but the US continues to rely on Chinese-affiliated companies to grow and operate the AI ​​industry. .

Perhaps the White House recognizes the obvious national security concerns this poses. At a World Economic Forum event in January, Microsoft Vice Chairman and President Brad Smith said the White House had classified the recently submitted plan on AI safety and security as “incomplete.” This explanation seems reasonable considering that the company, which currently has an AI research lab in China, was hacked last year and emails of the US ambassador to China, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, and the secretary of commerce were leaked. It will be done. Ahead of the important US-China talks, aimed at hackers associated with Beijing.

A letter from Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said Microsoft’s “negligent cybersecurity practices” led to the attack. However, the company has ordered China’s top drone manufacturer, Shenzhen DJI Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. to use advanced AI and We continue to maintain strategic partnership agreements to provide machine learning capabilities. Security concerns.

Microsoft is not the only technology company to maintain relationships with the Chinese government in the AI ​​space. Most of the American tech industry does that. Still, recent hacks demonstrate how the U.S. AI industry’s close proximity to the Chinese government poses a serious threat to national security.

China steals between $225 billion and $600 billion of intellectual property from the United States annually. This includes top intelligence and national security secrets. Furthermore, China’s civil-military fusion law requires that no actions carried out by Chinese companies be independent of the state. By law, Chinese companies must share data and comply with the demands of the Chinese Communist Party. The Chinese government views AI as a revolutionary element in military power and civil-military fusion, and the Chinese Communist Party has stated that it aims to lead the world. All useful data and intelligence is paramount. in the field of AI by 2030.

Washington should not pass a law that prohibits the government from working with certain U.S. contractors, but the Chinese Communist Party makes sense for all current and future AI contractors to continue receiving government business. Compliance with sales standards should be mandatory.

The Trump and Biden administrations and a bipartisan coalition in Congress have already imposed restrictions on ties to the Chinese Communist Party on many other industries. It would be foolish not to do the same with AI.

Accenture Research and Frontier Economics have estimated that AI could “double annual economic growth” by 2035. It is no wonder, then, that China aims to become a leader in this field by 2030. The United States cannot allow that to happen. If China were to enjoy that first-mover advantage, it would have devastating implications for human rights and the geopolitical balance of power on the world stage.

As the American Securities Project notes, “If the U.S. government does not put up guardrails now, U.S. companies pursuing the lucrative Chinese market could usher in the Chinese Communist Party’s move toward fifth-generation warfare.” do not have”. surely. It’s not in anyone’s interest. It’s time for Washington to change this paradigm – while it still can.

Jianli Yang is the founder and president of Citizen Power Initiatives. “For those of us who are alive: A journey that sheds light on the truth.”” and “The time has come for an ‘economic NATO’ based on values.”