The latest AI doomsayer is China’s intelligence boss

China's State Security Minister, Chen Yixin, has warned that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose significant risks to the nation's ruling Communist Party. In an article published in China Cyberspace Magazine, Chen posits that AI has become the primary arena for global technological competition and a source of strategic rivalry among world powers.

The minister cites concerns about US sanctions and the potential misuse of AI for malicious purposes, such as detecting and exploiting software vulnerabilities and attacking critical infrastructure. He also expresses apprehension over the lack of security awareness among domestic users, who may inadvertently facilitate data leaks by processing sensitive information using foreign AI products.

Chen worries that AI's "black box" algorithms and data poisoning could exacerbate social biases, erode user trust, and create difficulties in attributing responsibility for automatic decision-making. He argues that rapid AI advancements have outpaced traditional technology governance frameworks and called for China to strengthen its national security system to keep pace with AI.

Chen suggests that China must secure key core technologies, maintain technological sovereignty, and foster a virtuous cycle of innovation and security. The minister advocates for special laws and regulations to govern AI research, development, application, and supervision, emphasizing the need for standards covering algorithm security, data protection, ethical norms, and privacy rights.

Shortly after Chen's piece was released, the Cyberspace Administration of China unveiled version 3.0 of its AI Safety Governance Framework, which emphasizes risk-controllable institutional mechanisms like regulatory sandboxes to enable error and correction during new technology development. The framework also outlines efforts to ensure AI safety and address risks that infringe on individual rights, harm public interests, threaten national security, or endanger human survival and development.

This stance starkly contrasts with US President Donald Trump's dismissal of AI safety concerns as a "hoax" and his assertion that "The only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!"