Artificial intelligence: in Davos China asks to draw a “red line not to be crossed”

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has underlined today the need to draw “a red line not to be crossed” in the development of artificial intelligence to ensure that this technology benefits the entire human society.

Speaking at the World Economic Forum taking place in the well-known Swiss Alpine destination of Davos, Prime Minister Li launched a call for “good governance” of AI, urging the world to work together without “divisions or clashes”.

“Artificial intelligence must be guided in a direction that promotes the progress of humanity,” the Chinese premier said in his speech. “So there should be a red line in the development of artificial intelligence, a red line that must not be crossed.”

This technology, Li added, must be inclusive. “It must benefit not just a small group of people, but the vast majority of humanity,” she continued. “It is essential that we work together and coordinate with each other.”

China, the prime minister continued, “wishes to develop communication and cooperation with all interested parties to improve the governance mechanisms of artificial intelligence”.

The development of this new technology is at the center of the work of the Davos Forum, as much as the ongoing wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Some of the world's biggest names in the industry, but also in politics, including Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the President of the European Commission Ursula von Der Leyen, spoke today on this issue.

For his part, Nadella defended Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI, developer of ChatGPT, whose investments of around $13 billion between 2019 and 2023 are in the sights of European regulators. “Partnerships are a way to compete,” said the CEO. of Microsoft during a meeting organized by the US broadcaster Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Forum.

The president of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, instead urged the Union to “redouble its efforts” to avoid falling behind in the race to develop this technology. “First come, first served and the race has already begun: our future competitiveness depends on the integration of artificial intelligence into our daily activities.”