China hits out at ‘a certain country’ it says is hindering the tech development of others
- At UN Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence, ambassador Zhang Jun also calls for ‘non-discriminatory environment’ with equal access
- He says all nations should ‘oppose the use of AI to seek military hegemony or to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries’
During the discussion in New York on Tuesday, China’s UN ambassador Zhang Jun also called for a “non-discriminatory environment” in which developing countries have “equal access and utilisation” of AI.
“A certain developed country, in order to seek technological hegemony, seeks to build exclusive small clubs with various excuses and actions, maliciously obstruct the technological development of other countries, and artificially create technological barriers,” Zhang said, adding that China firmly opposed these moves.
At the session on the opportunities and risks AI poses to international peace and security, Zhang said the technology could be used to bridge development gaps between the Global North and South.
“The international community should work together to ensure that developing countries equally enjoy the development dividends brought by AI technology and continuously enhance their representation, voice and rights of decision-making in this field,” Zhang said.
He said AI’s “fundamental purpose” should be to boost global development and improve humanity’s common well-being, and that the Security Council should try to find ways for the technology to be used in conflict resolution.
“All countries should uphold a responsible defence policy, oppose the use of AI to seek military hegemony or to undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other countries, and avoid the abuse, unintentional misuse or even intentional misuse of AI weapon systems,” the Chinese envoy said.