Wang Yi Advocates for Responsible AI Use at UN Meeting

At a high-profile gathering at the United Nations headquarters in New York on September 25, 2024, Wang Yi, the Chinese Foreign Minister and Political Bureau member of the Communist Party of China, addressed the role of artificial intelligence (AI) in global governance. He asserted that AI should not function as a mechanism for sustaining hegemony but should instead be developed to benefit the population as a whole, emphasizing the importance of avoiding its misuse.

In conjunction with his speech, China presented the AI Capacity-Building Action Plan aimed at promoting equity in AI access and facilitating the realization of the UN's 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This plan highlights cooperation in key areas such as building AI infrastructure, workforce development, data improvement, and security governance—all designed to meet the expectations particularly of nations in the Global South.

The Action Plan outlines ten initiatives, including enhancing connectivity in AI and digital infrastructure, fostering research and development collaboration, aligning AI strategies more effectively, and sharing technical practices. Since the beginning of the year, China has pushed for the UN General Assembly to adopt a resolution focused on enhancing international cooperation on AI capacity building and has hosted several significant events, such as the World AI Conference and a high-level meeting on global AI governance.

Zhang Linghan, an expert from the UN High-Level Advisory Body on AI, emphasized that AI capacity building encompasses both technological development and safety assurance to mitigate risks associated with AI technology. This effort seeks to address disparities among nations in managing AI-related security challenges and to prevent potential dangers that may arise from unequal technological progress.