How China is preparing for the risk of AI escaping human control

Warnings from researchers at Anthropic that increasingly powerful artificial intelligence models could escape human control and even lead to the extinction of the human race have drawn attention in China, where policymakers have been preparing for some of the same risks. | AFP-JIJI

REUTERS

Sep 15, 2026

Beijing – Warnings from researchers at leading U.S. artificial intelligence developer Anthropic that increasingly powerful models could escape human control and even lead to the extinction of the human race have drawn attention in China, where policymakers have been preparing for some of the same risks.

The U.S. and China are the two major driving forces of frontier AI development and the technology’s global adoption. Both superpowers have been increasingly at loggerheads over each other’s AI policies and industry practices, with these issues slated to feature prominently in bilateral talks later this month.

Despite the race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems, regulatory frameworks and public statements from Beijing underscore how Chinese authorities regard the possibility of advanced AI escaping effective human oversight as serious enough to plan for.

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