Cooperation vital to keep the genie in the bottle: China Daily editorial

The development of artificial intelligence is constantly gaining pace, and its immense potential is transforming our lives. "It can predict, calculate and reproduce; it can accelerate the progress of our knowledge, our technology and our creativity."

These were the opening words of French President Emmanuel Macron in the press kit for the two-day AI Action Summit that will conclude in Paris on Tuesday. As the French leader highlighted, despite the great opportunities the technology promises, it is the risks and legitimate concerns associated with its ability that have brought stakeholders from around the world to the French capital for the summit.

It is good that the discussions focused on actions to synergize the efforts of governments, companies and societies to build an inclusive AI global governance system to ensure that the technology serves the common good of humanity.

Yet the slow progress of the world in promoting the global governance of cyberspace, including data, algorithms and related software and hardware, on which AI technology operates — not to mention the outcomes of the first two AI action summits held in London and Seoul respectively in the past two years being only symbolic — means the participants at the solution-oriented Paris summit face an uphill task in coming up with a workable joint action plan.

The themes of the Paris summit, including public interest AI, the future of work, innovation and culture, trust in AI and global AI governance, highlight some of the contentious issues related to the technology, as well as the directions in which collective efforts are called for to address the challenges.

At present, there is no unified governance at the international level, raising all sorts of questions about safety, competition, standards and sovereignty.

The development of AI, a scientific, economic, cultural, political and civic issue, entails intense international dialogue among many actors to ensure the science, solutions and standards that shape AI are developed collaboratively.

The participation of Chinese President Xi Jinping's special representative Zhang Guoqing, who is a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and a vice-premier of the State Council, in the Paris summit is an indication of the importance China attaches to the issue and its willingness and readiness to work with other parties to establish a global governance system for AI.

An important country in the AI field, China is ready to share its own experiences and contribute to global cooperation on AI, and actively advance the implementation of the United Nations Global Digital Compact.

Since the release of its AI development plan in 2017, China has made rapid progress in AI development and applications, accumulating extensive experience in both growth and governance.

In October 2023, President Xi proposed the Global AI Governance Initiative, offering a Chinese solution to this major issue of the times. In July 2024, a resolution on strengthening international cooperation in AI capacity building, proposed by China, was adopted by consensus at the 78th UN General Assembly. This is the first consensus document adopted by the UN on AI capacity building and is a testament to Chinese wisdom.

During President Xi's visit to France in May last year, China and France released a joint declaration on AI and global governance. Vice-Premier Zhang attending the Summit is a step toward implementing the common understanding between the two presidents regarding AI, and demonstrates China's responsible attitude as a major country in the field of AI and its commitment to advancing the development and security of AI, as the Chinese Foreign Ministry said via a spokesperson.

It is hoped that the Paris summit will open a new chapter in global AI cooperation.

China is willing to make its due contribution to that. Through this summit, China looks forward to enhancing communication and exchanges with all sides, and reaching a consensus on AI cooperation. It also hopes to take it forward.

China invites countries around the world to participate in the 2025 World AI Conference in China with the goal of shaping an AI global governance framework based on broad consensus that promotes AI for the good of all.