China opposes ‘politicising’ technology after JD Vance’s AI warning

China said Wednesday that it opposes “politicising” issues involving technology and trade, after US Vice President JD Vance warned that “authoritarian regimes” were seeking to use artificial intelligence for increased control over citizens.

World leaders gathered in Paris this week for an AI summit, with dozens of nations signing a statement calling for enhanced regulation of the technology to make it “open” and “ethical”.

But the United States — which dominates the increasingly vital sector — did not sign the communique, along with the United Kingdom.

In a thinly veiled shot at China, Vance cautioned against cooperation with “authoritarian regimes” in AI, saying that “partnering with them means chaining your nation to an authoritarian master that seeks to infiltrate, dig in and seize your information infrastructure”.

Asked about the comments Wednesday during a regular press conference in Beijing, China’s foreign ministry said that it “attaches importance to the security of AI”.

“We oppose the practices of drawing lines based on ideology, generalising the concept of national security and politicising economic, trade and technological issues,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said.

Guo added that China “advocate(s) open-source AI technology and promote(s) the accessibility of AI services”.