US will join G7 artificial intelligence pact, citing threat from China

The US is the last of the G7 countries to join an international organisation that will advise companies and governments on the responsible development of AI

The Global Partnership on AI will study and provide recommendations to encourage the creation of AI technologies that respect privacy and civil liberties

Reading Time:3 minutes

In this file photo taken on January 17, 2011 a Secret Service agent guards his post on the roof of the White House as a lamp post is adorned with Chinese and US national flags in Washington, DC. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:48am, 28 May 2020Updated: 9:48am, 28 May 2020

The US plans to join an international organisation that will advise companies and governments on the responsible development of artificial intelligence, becoming the last of the Group of Seven countries to sign on.

The group, called the Global Partnership on AI, will study and provide recommendations to encourage the creation of AI technologies that respect privacy and civil liberties, said Michael Kratsios, the chief technology officer of the US.

He called the partnership “a first of its kind global organisation that sees the future of AI as something that can uplift Americans and people around the world.”

US officials plan to outline their involvement in the program on Thursday at a G7 meeting of science and technology ministers.

In addition to G7 members, several more countries outside the group, including New Zealand, are expected to eventually join the programme.

Kratsios acknowledged that the Trump administration had generally been sceptical of multilateral agreements but said that this one was important as a check on China’s approach to AI, which often involves using new technologies to augment an already-robust surveillance state.