By TheDailyNewsHub
China has rejected calls from prominent US technology leaders for a slower pace of development of advanced artificial intelligence systems, describing warnings about the risks of rapid AI progress as “fear-mongering” and saying they could undermine efforts to establish effective global rules for the technology.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun made the comments during a regular press briefing in Beijing on Monday, September 14, in response to questions about recent warnings from leading figures in the US AI industry.
“Fear-mongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only hamper efforts toward sound global AI governance,” Guo said, adding that such an approach “serves no one’s interest.”
He said artificial intelligence was a technology with consequences for the wellbeing of humanity and called for its development to be open and inclusive.
“AI is a consequential technology for the well-being of all humanity. All parties should jointly promote the open and inclusive development of AI for good and for all,” Guo said, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.
The Chinese response followed a call by Anthropic Chief Executive Officer Dario Amodei for the AI industry to deliberately slow the development of the most advanced systems until adequate safeguards can keep pace with their capabilities.
In an essay published over the weekend, Amodei argued that the rapid progress of frontier AI was creating safety challenges and warned that a Chinese lead in AI could pose serious risks to the United States and the wider world. He also called for the continuation of US restrictions on the export of advanced AI chips and chipmaking equipment to China.
OpenAI Chief Executive Sam Altman and Elon Musk also backed aspects of Amodei’s concerns about the pace of AI development. Bloomberg reported that Altman supported Amodei’s proposal for stronger independent evaluation of advanced AI systems, while Musk also said Amodei was right.
Amodei’s argument has therefore combined two issues: the need for stronger safety measures as AI capabilities advance and the geopolitical importance of maintaining a technological advantage over China.
Beijing, however, has rejected the framing that China’s AI development represents a threat that should be countered through confrontation. Chinese officials and state-backed media have portrayed some of the calls for restrictions as attempts to contain China’s technological progress.
The debate has also exposed a significant contradiction in the global AI discussion. While China is opposing calls for confrontation and emphasising international cooperation, Chinese officials have themselves warned about the potential security implications of advanced AI.
China’s Minister of State Security, Chen Yixin, recently warned that hostile actors could use AI in ways that threaten China’s political and ideological security as well as critical information infrastructure.
The dispute comes as Washington and Beijing compete for leadership in artificial intelligence, with AI increasingly viewed as strategically important to economic growth, national security and technological influence.
US President Donald Trump has also rejected calls to slow America’s AI development, arguing that the United States must maintain its lead over China. He has warned that excessive regulation could allow China to overtake the US in the technology.
The disagreement therefore extends beyond a debate about the technical safety of AI. It is increasingly tied to questions of national security, access to advanced computing technology, international trade and who will set the rules governing one of the world’s most consequential technologies.
For now, Beijing’s position is that AI development should remain open and internationally cooperative, while leading US technology figures are calling for stronger safeguards and, in some cases, a deliberate slowing of frontier development.
The competing positions highlight the difficulty of establishing common international rules for AI at a time when the United States and China are simultaneously cooperating, competing and attempting to secure strategic advantages in the technology.