The U.N., China, and AI: A Guide to this Week’s Theatre
By: Paul Steidler: There is quite a lot of talk about AI at the United Nations General Assembly this week, most of which will not matter in the real world. What is key to watch for, though, is how closely U.N. AI rhetoric and aspirational policies align with those of China’s AI Action Plan, released on July 26, and steps China may take to capitalize on that.
China’s plan is aimed at gaining international allies on AI, using globalist, even pandering language to appeal broadly to potential partner nations. The brief, five-page report came out three days after the much-anticipated 28-page U.S. AI Action Plan.
Notably, China’s short report employs thematic words that key in on U.N. values to a greater extent than the U.S. plan, such as “international” (16 instances in China’s plan vs. 13 instances in the U.S. plan), “cooperation” (12 vs. 0), “United Nations” (4 vs. 1) and “sustainable” (4 vs. 1).
On the afternoon of September 24, the U.N. Security Council will convene for a debate on AI. The U.N. says, “One of the main objectives of the meeting is to encourage discussion on mitigating the risks and maximizing the benefits of AI in the context of international peace and security.”
On the afternoon of September 25, the first meeting of the U.N.’s Global Dialogue on AI Governance will be held. The aim of the discussions, as stated in an August 26 resolution the U.N. adopted to implement the program, is “to facilitate open, transparent and inclusive discussions on artificial intelligence governance with a view to enabling artificial intelligence to contribute to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and to closing the digital divides between and within countries.”
The U.S. and China are in an AI race. The U.S. leads and is formulating an export program, which is expected to be announced by October 23, in conjunction with an Executive Order.
The U.N. discussions are a reminder of the world’s great interest in AI technology, its aspirations for AI, and why the U.S. should urgently cultivate global partnerships before China beats us to them.