China bristles at Anthropic CEO's 'fearmongering' about its AI development

BEIJING — China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed annoyance on Monday over remarks made by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who called for the U.S. to limit China's artificial intelligence development as part of a push for a global slowdown in AI advancements. In a detailed article published on Saturday, Amodei expressed concern that a "Chinese lead in AI would pose grave danger for the United States and the world."

He advocated for maintaining limits on sales of the most advanced AI chips and chip-making equipment to China in order to maintain U.S. technological superiority.

Amodei's dire warnings about China's intentions have been met with criticism from China's foreign ministry. A spokesperson for the ministry, Guo Jiakun, said during a press conference that Amodei's alarmist predictions were unhelpful and that all nations should cooperate on AI. Guo stated at the conference, "Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance – which serves no one's interest."

Chinese officials have also expressed apprehension about AI, warning of the potential risks posed by foreign entities with advanced capabilities.