China Debates AI Risks While Closing Technology Gap With US

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang stated on Monday, September 16, at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles that Chinese people do not engage in "AI apocalypse" debates in the same way as Westerners, describing their narrative as much more practical.

This characterization sparked debate on Weibo, China's version of X, where the hashtag "Jensen Huang says no one in China is talking about the AI apocalypse" garnered over 14 million views. A Beijing tech commentator countered that "To say Chinese people don't talk about an AI apocalypse is simply untrue," while another Weibo user from Beijing emphasized the necessity of continued dialogue on AI's impact on human life.

Some users agreed that "AI doomerism" receives less attention in China due to the tech sector's focus on matching Western advancements. As global discussions on AI risks intensify, China is rapidly narrowing the technology gap with the United States. While the US has led in AI model capabilities, research, and citations, China is catching up despite US-led restrictions on advanced technologies, including cutting-edge chips.

Samm Sacks, a senior fellow at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, described the gap between US and Chinese models as narrow and fragile. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed in a blog post, "We Must Pace the Frontier," that global AI pacing requires cooperation with China, but also advocated for the US to maintain a lead over autocracies.

Kevin Xu, founder of Interconnected Capital, noted China's skepticism of Amodei's proposal, viewing it as an attempt to restrict China before negotiating as equals. Former Vice President Kamala Harris urged the US to pursue a treaty with China to limit AI development speed and adopt global testing standards. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun reportedly dismissed warnings of an AI slowdown as fearmongering, asserting that such actions disrupt global AI governance.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in April, labeled China an unreliable partner, citing past instances of hoarding resources. The White House has pledged to address distillation, a method used by Chinese companies to replicate US AI model advancements.