Is Xi Jinping an AI doomer?
China’s elite is split over artificial intelligence
IN JULY last year Henry Kissinger travelled to Beijing for the final time before his death. Among the messages he delivered to China’s ruler, Xi Jinping, was a warning about the catastrophic risks of artificial intelligence (AI). Since then American tech bosses and ex-government officials have quietly met their Chinese counterparts in a series of informal gatherings dubbed the Kissinger Dialogues. The conversations have focused in part on how to protect the world from the dangers of AI. American and Chinese officials are thought to have also discussed the subject (along with many others) when America’s national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, visited Beijing from August 27th to 29th.
Explore more
This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Is Xi Jinping an AI doomer?”
More from China
An outrage that even China’s supine media has called out
Anger is growing over a form of detention linked to torture and deaths
Why foreign law firms are leaving China
A number of them are in motion to vacate
An initiative so feared that China has stopped saying its name
“Made in China 2025” has been a success, but at what cost?
A pay rise for government workers sparks anger and envy in China
The effort to improve morale has not had the intended effect
A big earthquake causes destruction in Tibet
Dozens are dead, thousands of buildings have been destroyed
Militant Uyghurs in Syria threaten the Chinese government
How much does China have to fear?