BEIJING, April 27 (Xinhua) — Chinese president Xi Jinping has urged efforts to promote the healthy and orderly development of artificial intelligence (AI) in a beneficial, safe and fair direction.
Xi made the remarks while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee on Friday.
Xi emphasized that in the face of rapidly evolving new-generation AI technologies, China shall give full play to the advantages of the new system for mobilizing resources nationwide, uphold self-reliance and self-strengthening, prioritize application-oriented development, and promote the healthy and orderly advancement of the country’s AI sector toward a beneficial, safe and equitable direction.
Zheng Nanning, a professor at Xi’an Jiaotong University in northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, gave a lecture on this issue and put forward suggestions. Members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee listened carefully to the lecture and held discussions.
Speaking after these discussions, Xi pointed out that AI, as a strategic technology leading the new round of technological revolution and industrial transformation, has profoundly changed the way humans produce and live.
Xi noted that the Party Central Committee attaches great importance to the development of AI, and has improved top-level design and strengthened implementation efforts in recent years, thereby driving a holistic and systematic advancement of the country’s comprehensive AI strength.
Noting that there are still gaps and deficiencies in areas such as fundamental theories and key core technologies, Xi urged acknowledging these shortcomings and strengthening efforts to comprehensively advance sci-tech innovation, industrial development and applications of AI, to improve AI regulatory systems and mechanisms, and to firmly grasp the initiative in both AI development and governance.
Xi stressed that breakthroughs must be achieved in fundamental theories, methodologies and tools to gain a first-mover advantage and secure a competitive edge in AI.
