Key Points
- China is forming a 41-member AI standards committee with participation from Baidu and Peking University.
- The committee will focus on industry standards for large language models and AI risk assessment.
- Beijing seeks to balance AI regulation with fostering innovation and addressing safety and ethical concerns.
- China aims to lead the way in setting global AI standards amid rising international competition.
China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced plans to establish an artificial intelligence standardization technical committee. The committee will focus on creating industry standards for large language models and AI risk assessment. The 41-member committee will include representatives from major players such as tech giant Baidu and renowned academic institutions like Peking University, signaling a comprehensive approach to shaping the AI sector.
The initiative reflects Beijing’s effort to balance the regulation and promotion of the rapidly advancing AI industry. With global concerns about AI safety and ethical implications growing, China aims to address these challenges proactively. This move marks a departure from its earlier regulatory strategy with the mobile internet and e-commerce sectors, which were largely allowed to develop with minimal oversight until they reached maturity.
China’s approach to AI regulation has already been proactive. For instance, last year, the approval process for public-facing chatbots took several months, underscoring the government’s cautious stance even as domestic companies raced to develop alternatives to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.
This new push for standardized AI guidelines comes amid an intensifying global race for dominance in the AI sector. Nations are competing in technological development and striving to shape the international frameworks and norms that will govern AI in the future. China’s efforts to establish its influence in this domain align with its broader strategy to become a leader in global technology standards.
A Finnish Institute of International Affairs report highlights China’s ambition to transition from a “standard-taker” to a “standard-setter” in the AI industry. This shift underscores the country’s long-term objective of positioning itself as a key architect in shaping the technical and ethical frameworks for AI globally.