China's Concerns and Progress in AI Development

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This chapter explores the reasons why China is concerned about the release of OpenAI open source systems and how it impacts their cybersecurity and censorship regime. It discusses the challenges China faces in catching up to the US in terms of large language models and the talent factor in the AI race. The chapter also highlights the importance of understanding China's AI progress and discusses the potential dangers of adding AI to military advancements.

In the debate over slowing down AI, we often hear the same argument against regulation. “What about China? We can’t let China get ahead.” To dig into the nuances of this argument, Tristan and Aza speak with academic researcher Jeffrey Ding and journalist Karen Hao, who take us through what’s really happening in Chinese AI development. They address China’s advantages and limitations, what risks are overblown, and what, in this multi-national competition, is at stake as we imagine the best possible future for everyone.

CORRECTION: Jeffrey Ding says the export controls on advanced chips that were established in October 2022 only apply to military end-users. The controls also impose a license requirement on the export of those advanced chips to any China-based end-user.

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