Experts from the Center for a New American Security (CNAS), Bill Drexel and Hannah Kelley, have suggested that while Western nations focus on regulatory initiatives for artificial intelligence (AI), China is actively building its own AI infrastructure on a global scale. This strategy could potentially lead to Chinese-built AI systems dominating the future, thereby rendering Western agreements obsolete. The insights from Drexel and Kelley were published in Politico Magazine on Nov. 30.
Drexel serves as an associate fellow for the technology and national security program at CNAS, while Kelley holds the position of research associate for the same program, according to information available on the CNAS website.
According to Drexel and Kelley's article in Politico, while Western countries concentrate on AI initiatives and multilateral deals to establish global rules, China is taking a different approach by actively building its own global AI ecosystems rather than competing to write regulations. With over 140 cities transformed into Chinese-enhanced "safe" and "smart" cities and dominance in exporting AI-powered facial recognition technology, China's strategy could eclipse Western agreements concerning safe and rights-respecting AI. As Politico reports, China is "working with allies and client nations to construct Chinese-built AI ecosystems that could pose global risks if they take root and expand."
In contrast, Western efforts are centered around regulatory rulemaking, with the European Union leading through the AI Act and the United States following suit via the Biden administration's executive order. Meanwhile, China has adopted a proliferation-first approach by introducing its "Global AI Governance Initiative" during the Belt and Road Forum. The initiative aims to establish Chinese AI technology in developing economies before pushing specific international regulations. Drexel and Kelley argue that there is a lack of clear plans from the United States to counter this move by China. They propose that the Biden administration should integrate international AI guardrails into a broader campaign aimed at empowering developing nations with AI, similar to President Eisenhower's "Atoms for Peace" initiative, as reported by Politico.
Drexel, who previously appeared on the Federal Newswire China Desk podcast, compared the global AI race to the nuclear race during the Cold War. On the podcast, Drexel said, "nuclear technology had two applications: nuclear energy and nuclear weapons. Artificial intelligence is very multi-purpose, much more like electricity. So the ways in which it will revolutionize war, and will revolutionize economies and so on, is much more diverse. A kind of consensus is emerging among tech industry and geopolitical leaders that it will be pretty fundamental to competition in years ahead."
