The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has approved a resolution originating from China, appealing to developed nations to aid poorer nations in exploiting Artificial Intelligence (AI). The non-binding resolution, called “Enhancing international cooperation on capacity-building of artificial intelligence,” was proposed by China’s permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong. According to Fu, while AI technologies have had significant effects on the socioeconomic development of some countries, developing countries have not experienced these benefits due to a lack of access. The resolution highlights the urgency to bridge this digital divide and prevent developing countries from falling further behind.
This move follows the approval of the first global resolution on AI in March initiated by the United States, which was also supported by China. The previous resolution focused more on AI’s safety and human rights, whereas the new Chinese-backed resolution centers more on capacity building. It urges developed countries to increase capacity-building cooperation, including policies exchange, knowledge sharing, and technology transfer.
Despite the US endorsing the resolution, China believes that it is not acting in accordance with the spirit of the resolution. In recent times, the US has implemented measures to limit China’s AI ambitions, including restrictions on US companies and individuals investing in AI, computer chips, and quantum computing. Furthermore, the US has prohibited firms like NVIDIA from providing advanced AI chips to Chinese companies.
In response to this, Ambassador Fu urged the US to align its actions with the resolution by lifting these restrictions. Fu argued against these sanctions and stated that the regulations laid down in the resolution emphasize the importance of fostering an inclusive business environment. He suggested that the actions of the United States were not consistent with these principles.
The new resolution also broaches the potential benefits of open-source software, open data, and open models in democratizing access to AI. However, there are questions about whether resolution supporters can overlook political and commercial interests to address critical issues in developing countries, such as poverty. Alternatively, as AI development accelerates, the gap between developed and developing nations may continue to widen. So, while the concept of democratizing AI appears attractive, it is set against internal economic interests and geopolitical dilemmas.
