China will never allow any country in this world to achieve AI dominance: Victor Gao

China will thwart US ambitions for global artificial intelligence (AI) dominance, the vice-president of the Centre for China and Globalisation has said, while warning that Washington’s military-focused strategy was pushing towards “AI for evil”.

Addressing the Penang Peace Dialogue in Malaysia on Sunday, Victor Gao said the US was “weaponising and militarising AI”, and integrating the technology into systems ranging from drones and ballistic missiles to everyday software and hardware.

This drive for hegemony posed a global risk, he argued.

The Centre for China and Globalisation, a Beijing-based non-governmental think tank, is an influential institution that provides research on international trade, global governance and China’s foreign relations.

“We should figure out a way to free us up from this attempted AI dominance,” Gao said, contrasting China’s open-source development to American closed-source strategies.

“China will never allow any country in this world to achieve AI dominance. That is why China is so committed to push forward AI leadership,” Gao said.