Chinese state media drums up support for country’s AI development initiatives, but maintains caution about its risks and need for regulation

Chinese state media is drumming up support for generative artificial intelligence (AI) development in the country, extolling its potential to help drive economic growth and become a useful daily tool, while maintaining caution about its risks and asserting regulation of the technology.

An op-ed piece published on Friday by the People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Central Committee of China’s Communist Party, suggested that generative AI is on its way to becoming an essential part of the workplace and people’s everyday life, which would lead to profound changes in society, stimulate economic growth and drive a new industrial revolution.

Generative AI refers to the algorithms, such as those that power ChatGPT and similar services, that can be used to create new content, including audio, code, images, text, simulations and videos, according to consulting firm McKinsey & Co. Recent breakthroughs in this field have the potential to drastically change the way people approach content creation.

The opinion piece reflects China’s big bet on generative AI as a strategic tool that would not only save a national economy saddled by debt, a sluggish post-coronavirus recovery and demographic challenges, but also refuel the country’s bid to beat the US in their heated tech rivalry.