The Washington Post-White House backs up UK decision to invite China to AI summit

2023-10-26T16:46:43.716Z

President Biden’s top science adviser on Thursday expressed support for the United Kingdom’s decision to invite China to its major upcoming summit on artificial intelligence, which has drawn political scrutiny due to concerns over the country’s development of the technology.

“I thought it was a great process that they went through to figure out how to convene the right people at the right table,” Arati Prabhakar, the director of the White House’s Office of Science and Technology Policy, told reporter Cat Zakrzewski at a Washington Post Live event.

She added, “Look, absolutely, we always want to make sure that there’s good dialogue going on with every part of the world, so I thought that was a terrific idea.”

Government officials, Silicon Valley executives and civil society groups are set to gather at the summit next week, which is set to occur just days after the White House is expected to unveil an executive order to tackle the use of AI tools, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The international meeting arrives as policymakers globally race to develop or implement standards to boost AI development and safeguard its use.

China’s inclusion, however, has sparked backlash. Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss on Thursday publicly released a letter demanding that her successor Rishi Sunak withdraw China’s invitation, writing that she was “deeply disturbed” by the choice.

“The regime in Beijing has a fundamentally different attitude to the West about AI, seeing it as a means of state control and a tool for national security,” Truss wrote.

For years, U.S. policymakers have voiced concern about the country potentially losing pace to China in developing its AI technology and ceding a role in shaping global standards for its deployment.

“I don’t think we’re falling behind,” Prabhakar said of China and other countries on Thursday.