China's Spy Agency Chief Says AI Threatens Country's National Security
China's Minister of State Security has warned that generative AI poses a significant threat to national security by enabling foreign powers to spread misinformation and conduct cyber espionage. The statement highlights the growing geopolitical rivalry over AI governance and technological dominance.
Why it matters
This reflects the escalating global tension between major powers regarding the regulation and strategic use of artificial intelligence.
The head of China's spy agency has warned that artificial intelligence endangers the country's national security, with foreign powers potentially using the technology to threaten social order."Hostile forces" were abusing generative AI technologies to "fabricate political rumours and spread harmful information", Minister of State Security Chen Yixin wrote in an article published online on Sunday."They launch public opinion wars and cognitive warfare against China, directly threatening our political security, institutional security and ideological security," he said.The warning comes as Chinese leader Xi Jinping is due to meet US President Donald Trump in Washington this month, with AI governance and safety set to be part of their discussions as calls mount for greater oversight of the technology.US tech leaders have also called for slowing AI advances.Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned on Saturday of the "reckless" speed of AI technology development, as worries mount over the risks of superintelligent computer systems.OpenAI boss…
Also covering this story
3 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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