The UK government should invite China to its upcoming AI safety summit, Labour MP and chair of the Business and Trade Select Committee Darren Jones has said.
Writing in an opinion piece for UKTN on Monday, Jones said China “ought to be” at the Buckinghamshire summit.
However, The Bristol North West MP conceded that “geopolitical tension” between China and the US will mean the topic of AI in military applications will be “off the agenda”.
Announced by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in June, the summit will see international leaders and tech industry representatives convene to lay the foundations for a “shared approach” to AI safety.
There has been limited information publicly shared by the government about the event – set to take place at Bletchley Park in November – sparking confusion among some international diplomats.
A major question mark surrounding the summit is whether China should be invited. The UK government has been critical of China over Taiwan, Hong Kong and its human rights record.
When it comes to tech, the UK has increasingly taken a hard line on China. It banned Chinese telco giant Huawei from 5G phone networks, and blocked the acquisition of Newport Wafer Fab by Netherlands-headquartered and Chinese-owned semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia. Both decisions were made on national security grounds.
But China is a significant player in the global AI space, which has advanced rapidly this year and captured the public imagination thanks to technologies like ChatGPT.
A spokesperson for DSIT previously told UKTN: “As is routine for international summits of this nature, we will not speculate on potential invitees but will confirm further details soon.”
G7 for AI
Jones, who some consider a future contender for shadow tech secretary, said that a “new regulator with enforcement powers is unlikely”.
He added: “The Americans won’t agree to a regulator that can tell US businesses what to do, especially when they fear that China will just do what it wants anyway.”
Jones suggested a “club of the most advanced AI nations”, similar to the model set by the G7 be established to handle the global conversation on AI safety.
The MP said China should be invited to be part of this organisation, along with tech companies.
Establishing an agreement on this should be the “minimum level of success that we expect from the summit”, he added.
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