China hits back at Anthropic CEO’s call to curb its AI development

China has criticised calls by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for the United States to restrict Beijing’s development of advanced artificial intelligence.

Amodei recently argued for a global slowdown in the development of increasingly powerful AI systems while also calling on Washington to maintain restrictions on China’s access to advanced AI chips and chipmaking equipment.

The Anthropic chief warned that China taking the lead in artificial intelligence could pose serious risks to the United States and the wider world.

Beijing rejected the argument, with China’s Foreign Ministry saying cooperation rather than confrontation should guide global AI development.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said fearmongering, confrontation and intense competition could undermine global efforts to establish effective AI governance.

China’s state-run Global Times also criticised Amodei’s position, portraying his proposals as an attempt to contain China’s technological development and preserve American dominance in artificial intelligence.

The disagreement comes amid an intensifying AI competition between the world’s two largest economies.

Chinese companies have continued developing increasingly capable AI models despite US restrictions on China’s access to some advanced semiconductor technology.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has previously called for a global framework for AI governance and stressed the need to keep artificial intelligence under human control.

The debate over AI development is expected to remain an important issue in US-China relations as both countries seek technological leadership while facing growing concerns about the safety of increasingly powerful AI systems.