The fact that Artificial Intelligence (AI) is replacing raw or direct human intelligence in an increasing number of instances and sectors cannot be gainsaid. From writing “original” essays and dissertations that can pass muster in any academic class, to advanced 3D printing using complicated algorithms, we have not seen anything yet.
Never mind that AI is a product of human intelligence itself. What seems to be of increasing concern is that it is apparently surpassing human intelligence. Such technology is dangerous. AI technology is a double-edged sword that, if used within set ethical guidelines, it can revolutionize our lives by expanding our horizons. However, put it in the wrong hands, and it can put the world in serious jeopardy.
AI has covered almost all aspects of our lives including healthcare, banking and financial services, logistics and transportation, travel and real estate, media and legal businesses. Indeed, AI has become an all-encompassing reality of our daily lives. Therefore, it would be foolhardy to have such high technology to operate freely without some form of supervision, guidance and even regulation where the situation is critical or risky.
In light of the foregoing, on July 13 China published the “Interim Measures for the Management of Generative Artificial Intelligence Services”. The measures, which were drafted by the Cyberspace Administration of China, took effect on August 15. They aim to establish standards, including detailed regulatory pathways and appropriate governance tools for the AI sector. Further, they seek to promote the sound development of the sector, while safeguarding national security and public interest.
However, while the interim measures have ring fenced the sector to avoid abuse, they are also cognizant of the fact that this is a growth industry with almost daily innovations in the AI spectrum. The measures also encourage the independent innovation of basic technologies such as generative AI algorithms, frameworks, chips, and supporting software platforms. Further, the regulations tempered with training requirements on AI generated content and non-infringement on others’ intellectual property rights.
China’s AI regulations are a first for any major economy, something that experts believe will set standards for the sector globally, particularly for the U.S. which is the industry leader. Regulations for AI in the U.S. are still in early days, with the current preference being self-regulation and voluntary A.I. safety commitments by industry players.
In an Opinion published in “The New York Times” on July 21, Cecilia Kang notes that the flurry of activity between the White House and top tech executives on AI is inadequate “to predict even the roughest sketches of regulations to protect consumers and contain the risks that the technology poses to jobs, the spread of disinformation and security”.
This is the malaise that China seeks to cure with its AI interim measures. The only difference between the two leading global tech giants is China’s resolve to take early action and revise the regulations as the industry gets more advanced. The U.S. might find it too late to regulate the sector after it passes a certain threshold. In such circumstances it will be extremely difficult to claw back on damages.
In fact, the U.S. is trailing the European Union (EU), which has drafted the EU AI Act. The futuristic Act aims to broadly ensure that “AI systems used in the EU are safe, transparent, traceable, non-discriminatory and environmentally friendly. In addition, the AI systems should be overseen by people, rather than by automation, to prevent harmful outcomes. The EU AI Act also has different rules for different risk levels – unacceptable, high, and limited risks.
The effects and uses of AI is massive. This is the reason China’s interim measures are multi-disciplinary involving at least seven ministries and State agencies covering development and reform, education, science and technology, public security, media, industry and information technology.
Ethics are a standard practice across the gamut of China’s socioeconomic sectors, and even in politics. This stems from the realization that there should be no power without responsibility. There is need to protect humanity from the potential and dangers of technology gone awry. These are treacherous times in as far as the extremes of technology are concerned.
In December 2019, He Jiankui, a genome-editing researcher at the Southern University of Science and Technology of China in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, was jailed for three years by a Chinese court for “illegal medical practices” after he was found guilty of illegally trying to alter the genetic makeup of twin girls through embryo gene-editing.
The court ruled that “the three accused did not have the proper certification to practise medicine, and in seeking fame and wealth, deliberately violated national regulations in scientific research and medical treatment. They have crossed the bottom line of ethics in scientific research and medical ethics.”
This is the precedence that China has set for its citizens who cross the red line in the research, development or utilization of science and technology in the country. Letting He go unpunished would have opened the flood gates of unbridled experimentation whose future consequences we may not even fathom at the moment.
