New AI restrictions by US to hinder global innovation

Example of Washington’s continuous tech hegemony

The Biden administration has been taking steps to prevent China from developing advanced technology, from highend chips to artificial intelligence (AI). Recent remarks by the US commerce secretary on AI showed another “China watch” operation, which analysts said could hinder international cooperation, while again showing US hegemony in the scientific and technological sectors.

The Biden administration may require US cloud companies to determine whether foreign entities are accessing US data centers to train AI models, US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Friday in an interview with Reuters.

There may be an effect on China’s AI sector for a short period, but the effect will decline over time, Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times on Sunday.

“Such restrictions could hinder global technological innovation and collaboration and are also likely to further exacerbate divisions and rivalries in the global tech sector. Developments in areas such as big data and AI require data sharing and cooperation on a global scale,” said Wang.

A Shenzhen-based chip industry insider told the Global Times on Sunday that in some core AI technologies, China is already at the forefront of the world, such as facial and voice recognition.

“China has made great progress in machine learning and natural language processing. Its AI technology has been applied in many fields, such as healthcare, finance and transportation, fueling the scale and speed of technological advancements,” said the insider, citing new generative AI services from Chinese tech firms.

The insider pointed out that computing power, the availability of data training and algorithms are the three main ingredients for AI progress.

If US cloud companies cannot provide services to foreign entities, it could limit the technological development of these companies in AI model training. Meanwhile, this could reduce their business opportunities on a global scale, Zhang Xiaorong, director of the Beijingbased Cutting-Edge Technology Research Institute, told the Global Times on Sunday.

“Unlike the US, China is actively promoting cooperation with other countries around the world to promote the development and application of AI technology. Therefore, even with big data restrictions by the US, China will continue to promote the development of the AI industry,” the insider said.

Wang further stressed that the US hopes to restrict China’s sci-tech development and maintain its own sci-tech hegemony through blockades and suppression, while it also recognizes the need to cooperate with major powers such as China in the face of global challenges.