The article suggests that while some form of regulation is necessary, expecting lawmakers who often struggle with basic tech to understand cutting-edge AI is unrealistic. It also warns that China could extend its AI tools of control and surveillance to other regimes with similar ideologies, creating a "digital curtain" that could hinder global cooperation.
Key takeaways:
- The Chinese Communist Party is extending its history of censorship and surveillance to its approach to AI, with the government having final sign-off on large language models and the data they were trained on.
- China's push to exert control over AI comes at a critical juncture for the country, as its bright economic future has dimmed considerably and its recovery plan won't come easily or be welcomed by the rest of the world.
- There are concerns that China could extend the AI tools of control and surveillance it creates to other regimes with similar ideologies, creating a digital curtain that could make it impossible for societies to cooperate in a shared future.
- However, the article also argues that a lack of guardrails on AI comes with its own set of problems, and that some types of rules around the tech seem like a good idea, albeit not to the degree the CCP has implemented.