Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun. File.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

China said Wednesday (February 12, 2025) that it opposes “politicising” issues involving technology and trade, after U.S. 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, Mr. 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”.

New Delhi:

India is developing its own large language model in a public-private partnership (PPP) mode, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the AI Action Summit in Paris.

The PPP model is used to bring resources together and make them available to startups, he said.

“India is building its own large language model considering our diversity. We also have a unique public-private partnership model for pooling resources like compute power. It is made available to our startups and researchers at an affordable cost. India is ready to share its experience and expertise to ensure that the future of AI is for good and for all,” PM Modi said.

The prime minister, who is co-chairing the major event on artificial intelligence along with French President Emmanuel Macron, said while India is at the dawn of the AI age, machines can never overpower humans.

“We are at the dawn of the AI age that will shape the course of humanity. Some people worry about machines becoming superior in intelligence to humans. But no one holds the key to our collective future and shared destiny other than us humans. That sense of responsibility must guide us,” PM Modi said.

India’s digital public infrastructure is open and accessible to all, he said, referring to massively successful programmes such as the UPI network in a nation of over a billion people.

“India has successfully built a digital public infrastructure for over 1.4 billion people at a very low cost. It is built around an open and accessible network. It has regulations and a wide range of applications to modernise our economy, reform governance and transform the lives of our people,” he said.

The data from these projects form the foundation of the National AI Mission, he added.

“During our G20 presidency, we built a consensus on AI… Today, India leads in AI adoption and techno-legal solutions on data privacy. We are developing AI applications for public good, and have one of the world’s largest AI talent pools,” PM Modi said.

During his stay in France, PM Modi will visit the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project, a significant international collaboration in nuclear fusion research.

In a tribute to historical ties, PM Modi will also visit the Mazargues War Cemetery to honour Indian soldiers who were killed in action in the World Wars.

From France, PM Modi will fly to the US on a two-day visit at the invitation of US President Donald Trump.

With inputs from PTI