China’s cyberspace chief raises concerns over the power of generative AI, pledges to make it ‘controllable’

Release Time:2023-06-29 11:11Source：InternetBy:Khongtu ReviewRead:

Zhuang Rongwen, director at the Cyberspace Administration of China, wants to ensure chat bot technology is ‘reliable and controllable’

The CAC has published a list of 41 generative AI algorithms which have been ‘registered’, a pre-screening step before being officially licensed

This photo illustration taken Jan. 23, 2023, shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS

This photo illustration taken Jan. 23, 2023, shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. Photo: AFP via Getty Images/TNS

China’s top internet regulator has expressed concerns over the power of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential for disruption, reflecting Beijing’s balancing act in trying to leverage but also control ChatGPT-style technologies.

Zhuang Rongwen, director at the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the agency in charge of generative AI regulation, said on Monday that generative AI could affect every aspect of society and daily life, and that it was creating a new challenge for internet governance.

“[We need to] make sure AI is reliable and controllable,” Zhuang told the Nishan Dialogue on Digital Civilisation in Qufu, a city in the eastern province of Shandong, the birthplace of ancient Chinese philosopher Confucius. The event is hosted by the World Internet Conference, a China-backed agency to promote Beijing’s view and governance model of the internet.

Zhuang said Beijing was particularly concerned about data used in generative AI, “the black box [nature] of the [large language] models”, and privacy.

The CAC has yet to issue any official permit or licence for any generative AI product in China’s market of 1 billion internet users, even as the country’s Big Tech firms, including search engine Baidu and Alibaba Group Holding, are rolling out ChatGPT-style services on a “trial” basis. (Alibaba owns the South China Morning Post).

Zhuang’s agency has published a list of 41 generative AI algorithms which have been “registered”, a pre-screening step before being officially licensed. All generative AI algorithms and products must go through security testing and review by the CAC before they can be publicly released.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI launched its conversational bot ChatGPT last fall. The AI chatbot’s ability to giving text responses to complex human queries sparked a global AI race to develop similar technologies. However, the popularity of ChatGPT has put Beijing in a difficult position. On the one hand, China views AI as a technology of the future, but on the other hand, the government is trying to tame the technology so that “unwanted” information will not be generated.

In his speech, Zhuang said AI should be integrated into the real economy to help improve the operations of traditional industry sectors. He also called for more international cooperation on the research and development of AI, the cultivation of talent, and urged local enterprises, high schools and research facilities to join together for collaboration.

Zhuang Rongwen, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, at the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, November 23, 2020. Photo: Reuters

Zhuang Rongwen, head of the Cyberspace Administration of China, at the opening ceremony of the World Internet Conference (WIC) in Wuzhen, Zhejiang province, November 23, 2020. Photo: Reuters

“With AI technologies picking up steam … how to make progress in a disciplined way and maintain the safety line is a shared concern,” Daniel Zhang Yong, Alibaba’s outgoing chairman and CEO, who attended the forum, said in an earlier speech, echoing Zhuang’s concerns.

Besides Zhang, other executives from leading Chinese tech firms to attend the event included Baidu founder Robin Li Yanhong and Didi Chuxing chairman and CEO Will Cheng Wei.

Chinese executives of multinationals, including IBM Greater China general manager Chen Xudong and Cisco Greater China vice-president Hou Shengli, attended a closed-door symposium on Sunday, according to a statement from the organiser.

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China’s cyberspace chief raises concerns over the power of generative AI, pledges to make it ‘controllable’

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