China's strategy to lead AI

China agrees with the United States in expressing concern about the security risks that artificial intelligence (AI) can cause. The two world powers leading in AI development are aware of the danger that this powerful technology could escape human control. But the similarities end with the diagnosis; the response to the problem is divergent. China sees the risks as manageable and opts for state oversight, in contrast to the somewhat apocalyptic discourse issued by heads of major American companies who warn of a future with an out-of-control AI that could even endanger humanity.

Both countries approach the AI sector from different models. In the United States, it is private companies that drive development and now warn of its risks, asking for more regulation to be able to control it. In China, on the other hand, the entire sector has strong government control, regulation, and support. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Guo Jiakun, did not hesitate to label the calls to slow down AI development launched by the CEO of Anthropic as alarmist and a campaign to contain China's progress.

For the Asian giant, AI development to achieve global leadership is a state policy. China's national AI strategy for 2026-2030 has three defined axes: producing advanced chips to avoid dependence on the West, developing open-source models, and implementing a regulatory governance framework to control AI. The goal is for 70% of chips to be domestically produced by 2030. In this way, they could dodge the effects of the sanctions that hinder the development of Chinese AI. Self-sufficiency could create a new technological Iron Curtain.

In China, the use of AI has spread very naturally and massively among the population. The Chinese are accustomed to technological leaps and, possibly, do not have the apprehension that exists in the West regarding changes. Furthermore, it has been blessed by the government, which has actively promoted its use, supporting its implementation throughout administration and education.

Nowadays, everything is consulted on DeepSeek and search engines have ceased to be useful. AI reports the news, suggests the best destination for vacations by analyzing prices, weather, and opinions from other tourists. It also answers medical queries and recommends hospitals or doctors, and above all, in many offices and companies, it helps to simplify work.

It even creates virtual friends, and until recently, you could train it to become the perfect partner. It is in this emotional field that the government has placed limits, worried about the impact on the population's mental health. Tech companies like Alibaba pay for consumers to try AI applications for making autonomous purchases based on offers or consumption preferences.

For the Chinese government, AI is a key piece in its transformation towards an advanced and high-quality economy, and its strategy is very similar to the one used with electric cars: abundant funding and, instead of real competition between companies, coordination to achieve national objectives. Unlike in the United States, where companies like Anthropic or OpenAI compete with each other with their products, the Asian giant creates a development ecosystem under the state umbrella.

The commitment to open source allows for accelerating its development. Another advantage of the Asian giant is that state control and the large population allow access to massive data to train AI. In Europe, for data protection reasons, companies could not use the amount of data that applications like Weibo or Taobao collect. The state subsidizes large computing centers and technology parks where business cooperation predominates. Government funding is very abundant and companies like Huawei have received large subsidies for the creation of their most advanced chips.

China has already developed a broad regulatory framework for companies in the sector that includes state-supported standards, security assessments, and external testing. For Beijing, the main risk of AI is national security and the possibility that spies and foreign forces might interfere with it. This is certified by the Minister of Security, Chen Yixin, in a document published a few weeks ago, in which he warned that, in the hands of "hostile forces and individuals with hidden motives," this technology could pose a direct threat to "political, institutional, and ideological security."

The Chinese architecture to control AI

China defends the creation of a global governance framework for artificial intelligence and speaks of the necessary cooperation between countries for the technology to be safe. But it remains to be seen whether it is truly willing to collaborate or simply to impose its own protocols and standards on the world.

For the moment, President Xi Jinping promoted the creation of the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO) last July. It will be headquartered in Shanghai and 29 countries have already joined, including allies such as Belarus, Serbia, Brazil, Venezuela, and Cuba. In addition to ten African countries and twelve Asian ones.

WAICO has been created even though the United Nations has already established mechanisms such as the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI to set technical and global governance standards.

At the recent BRICS meeting in India, Xi Jinping also announced that China will lead the creation of an open-source artificial intelligence zone. In this way, China positions itself as the leader of the Global South in the development of AI and, therefore, its companies lead the sector. For the moment, everything indicates that China wants a regulated AI, but under its own standards.