Paris, France — Former Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying has emphasized that international cooperation is essential to ensure that artificial intelligence (AI) remains under human control. Speaking at the Paris AI Action Summit on Monday, Fu warned that without collaborative efforts, AI has the potential to outpace and overpower humanity.
Highlighting the current global landscape, Fu noted that geopolitical tensions, particularly between China and the United States, are hindering scientific collaboration in AI development. "The past years have witnessed consistent efforts to block technological progress, poisoning the atmosphere for cooperation," she said.
Fu described two prevailing trends in the AI sector: the rapid innovation by leading U.S. tech companies in the virtual realm and China’s growing leadership in applying AI across real-world industries. "Combining these two forces would be the best path forward for the safe and responsible application of AI technology," she suggested, cautioning that geopolitical interference threatens this synergy.
She also touched on the debate over open-source AI development, pointing out that many Chinese startups favor open-source models to enhance transparency and accelerate technological evolution. "This aligns with the belief that AI should benefit the people," Fu said. "In comparison, the current opacity of some large companies’ models is more concerning."
Addressing AI safety, Fu assured that China is fully aware of the associated risks and has implemented measures to manage them. She referenced the "New Generation Artificial Intelligence Development Plan" released by China’s State Council in 2017, which emphasizes safe, controllable, and sustainable AI progress.
Fu highlighted China’s commitment to global cooperation in AI governance. She mentioned the Global AI Governance Initiative released in 2023, advocating for beneficial AI development and the establishment of risk-level testing and evaluation systems. China also participated in the Bletchley Declaration and led a resolution on enhancing international cooperation in AI capacity building at the 78th United Nations General Assembly, supported by over 140 countries.
"Leading figures in China’s science and technology community maintain close communication with international peers and are broadly aligned in their thinking on AI safety issues," Fu observed.
The Paris AI Action Summit, held from Monday to Tuesday, brought together AI experts, policymakers, and industry leaders from various countries to discuss opportunities and challenges in AI development and governance.
