AI development pace debate grows: China echoes Trump's stance, slams US tech leaders for ‘fearmongering’

China on Monday (local time) slammed US tech leaders after they raised concerns over AI development and pushed back against calls to slow it down, as it released an updated AI safety framework. Beijing has echoed Trump's stance and called out “fearmongering.”

The debate over the pace and safety of artificial intelligence (AI) development is gaining momentum in the United States, as more industry leaders call for stronger safeguards and a slowdown in AI model development. At the same time, US President Donald Trump continues to back rapid AI development and progress.

The discussion has now also drawn a response from China, which has criticised calls by US tech leaders to slow down AI development and impose tighter curbs on Chinese AI model makers, Bloomberg reported.

China slams US tech leaders over stoking fears on AI development

On Monday (local time), Beijing's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a briefing, "Fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance and serve the interests of no one." He added that the development of artificial intelligence has implications for the well-being of people worldwide.

His remarks came in response to a question about calls to slow the development of frontier AI models and concerns that China gaining an advantage in AI could “pose grave danger” to the world.

Beijing’s response indicates that China and its AI industry are likely to continue pursuing their own approach to the technology. Unlike some US tech leaders, senior executives in China’s AI sector have generally not advocated slowing AI development as a safety measure. Instead, the Chinese government has positioned AI as an important tool for boosting economic growth and strengthening the country’s global power, the report added.

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(with Bloomberg inputs)

Swati Gandhi