China calls for global AI centre to avoid dominance of select few as US rivalry deepens
Proposal comes days after Trump says tech race with China will define 21st century, with Beijing reportedly mulling Shanghai headquarters
The move comes as China looks to expand its influence in the new but rapidly evolving sector amid a bitter tech competition with the United States.
Opening the annual World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Saturday, Li said: “Currently, global AI governance is showing a fragmented trend overall, particularly with significant differences among nations in regulatory approaches, institutional frameworks and rules.
“We should enhance coordination and alignment to establish a widely accepted global governance framework for AI at an early date.”
Some 1,200 representatives from 30 countries, including top AI experts, are attending the three-day event in the Chinese financial capital.
Other speakers on Saturday included Anne Bouverot, who is the French president’s special envoy for AI, computer scientist Geoffrey Hinton – known as “the Godfather of AI”, and former Google CEO Eric Schmidt.