U.S. urged to strengthen AI cooperation with China

Amid intensifying competition in artificial intelligence (AI) development, experts at the 2024 Beijing Forum stressed the importance of collaboration between China and the United States in the AI sector.

China and the U.S. are among the leading developers in AI, with advanced AI laboratories and extensive language models that stand out internationally, noted Graham Webster, a research scholar at Stanford University, during a forum panel session.

Webster warned that complete decoupling between the two nations would have negative consequences. "There would be a significant loss of efficiency and innovation," he said, urging both sides to maintain government-to-government dialogues on AI risk and safety, while also collaborating with a diverse international community, including scholars and those with various cultural perspectives.

He added that leading nations like China and the U.S. should ensure that benefits derived from AI technologies, such as medical advancements, are widely shared.

Karman Lucero, a research fellow at Yale University's Paul Tsai China Center, emphasized the growing global interest in China's rapid AI advancements. Lucero highlighted the valuable insights that can be gained from China's dynamic and diverse AI ecosystem. 

He stated that fostering mutual understanding and addressing challenges between the U.S. and China requires not only official dialogues but also people-to-people exchanges.

In recent years, the U.S. has implemented measures to limit AI cooperation with China. However, dialogues on AI have been carried out to mitigate disputes. In May, China and the U.S. held their first inter-governmental meeting on AI in Geneva to discuss AI's technological risks, global governance, and other mutual concerns. In June, the second China-U.S. Track 1.5 Dialogue took place in Beijing, where participants from both nations agreed to deepen cooperation in AI.

Lei Shaohua, an associate professor at Peking University's School of International Studies, advocated for preventing economic fragmentation caused by technological divides. He suggested that a "bottom-up" approach, where Chinese and U.S. universities, think tanks, government research institutions, and AI companies collaborate, could serve as a stabilizing force for bilateral relations.

Held at Peking University, the panel session themed "Digitalization and Intellectuals: The Convergence of Multiple Disciplines in the Era of AI," was part of the annual Beijing Forum. This year's three-day academic event, which concludes Sunday, hosted over 500 experts and scholars from more than 30 countries and regions.

(With input from Xinhua)