Chinese President Xi Jinping is urging his national security operation to prepare for threats from inside as well as outside the country. Tech-enabled risks are top of mind for the head of the Chinese Communist Party—and AI is prominent among these.
“It is imperative to maintain political security, improve security governance of network data and artificial intelligence, [and] accelerate the development of a national security risk monitoring and early warning system,” Xi said May 31 in remarks delivered at a meeting of the CCP’s National Security Commission.
The address received coverage at XinhuaNet, an English-language site run by Xinhua News Agency, the official state news operation of the People’s Republic of China. The coverage was posted to a page titled “Xi’s Time.”
Xi emphasized points that might intrigue Western observers of China’s current thinking on AI and other emerging technologies. While he had little to say to those interested in healthcare AI per se, recent advances in generative AI across numerous industries surely warrant the attention of AI watchers across the board.
Among Xi’s points as paraphrased by XinhuaNet:
- ‘More efforts must be made to modernize our (China’s) national security system and capacity, and get prepared for actual combat and dealing with practical problems.’
- ‘The complexity and severity of national security problems faced by our country (China) have increased dramatically.’
- ‘We (in China) must be prepared for worst-case and extreme scenarios, and be ready to withstand the major test of high winds, choppy waters and even dangerous storms.’
The address has drawn copious coverage from U.S. and U.K. news outlets. Among the notable observations offered:
- “China has been cracking down on its tech sector in an effort to reassert party control, but like other countries it is scrambling to find ways to regulate fast-developing AI technology.”—Associated Press
- “[China] has also taken steps to strengthen state control over artificial intelligence, with a draft law unveiled last month requiring all AI products to undergo a security assessment before being released. AI products will be required to reflect ‘core socialist values’ and must not ‘contain content on subversion of state power.’”—The Guardian
- “China’s unbridled enthusiasm for new technology and willingness to tinker with imported or stolen research and to stifle inquiries into major events such as the COVID-19 outbreak heighten concerns over its use of AI.”—Yahoo! News
Dave P. has worked in journalism, marketing and public relations for more than 30 years, frequently concentrating on hospitals, healthcare technology and Catholic communications. He has also specialized in fundraising communications, ghostwriting for CEOs of local, national and global charities, nonprofits and foundations.