By Brenda Goh
SHANGHAI (Reuters) -Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Saturday proposed establishing an organisation to foster global cooperation on artificial intelligence, calling on countries to coordinate on the development and security of the fast-evolving technology.
Speaking at the opening of the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai, Li called AI a new engine for growth but said governance is fragmented and emphasising the need for more coordination between countries to form a globally recognised framework for AI.
The three-day event brings together industry leaders and policymakers at a time of escalating technological competition between China and the United States – the world’s two largest economies – with AI emerging as a key battleground.
“Overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts, institutional rules,” Li said. “We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible.”
Washington has imposed export restrictions on advanced technology to China, including the most high-end AI chips made by companies such as Nvidia and chipmaking equipment, citing concerns that the technology could enhance China’s military capabilities.
Despite these restrictions, China has continued making AI breakthroughs that have drawn close scrutiny from U.S. officials.
Li did not name the United States in his speech but he warned that AI could become an “exclusive game” for a few countries and companies, adding that challenges included an insufficient supply of AI chips and restrictions on talent exchange.
GOVERNANCE PLAN
China wants to share its development experience and products with other countries, especially those in the Global South, Li said.
Also on Saturday, China released an action plan for global AI governance, in which it invited governments, international organisations, enterprises and research institutions to work together and promote international exchanges including through a cross-border open source community.
The plan proposes accelerating digital infrastructure such as clean power, new-generation networks and data centres, according to a statement from China’s foreign ministry.
The AI conference is an annual government-sponsored event in Shanghai that typically attracts major industry players, government officials, researchers and investors.
Saturday’s speakers included Anne Bouverot, the French president’s special envoy for AI, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton, known as “the Godfather of AI”, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has in past years regularly appeared at the opening ceremony in person or by video, did not speak this year.
Besides forums, the conference features exhibitions where companies demonstrate their latest innovations.
This year, more than 800 companies are participating, showcasing more than 3,000 high-tech products, 40 large language models, 50 AI-powered devices and 60 intelligent robots, according to organisers.
The exhibition features predominantly Chinese companies, including tech giants Huawei and Alibaba and startups such as humanoid robot maker Unitree. Western participants include Tesla, Alphabet and Amazon.
(Reporting by Brenda Goh; Writing by Liz Lee; Editing by Jacqueline Wong, William Mallard and Tom Hogue)