It’s no secret that nations are vying for supremacy in artificial intelligence (AI), but not all of them follow the same guidelines.
I cautioned the public last year about China’s infiltration of international networks to steal trade secrets and intellectual property. Their unjust and frequently unlawful methods continue to jeopardize our vital infrastructure, which is the foundation of our civilization.
Intelligence assessments just last week disclosed that U.S. telecommunications equipment contained Chinese-made components with concealed backdoor vulnerabilities. We are no longer discussing hypothetical hazards when a foreign opponent has the ability to instantly interrupt water supplies, energy grids, or communication networks. We could be in danger of a national paralysis or worse. It should be extremely concerning to all Americans that they have infiltrated our vital infrastructure.
Meanwhile, there are rumors that humanoid robots powered by AI are replacing labor in Chinese factories. People have been worried about AI upending the labor market for a long time. The future seems to be getting closer to being a reality now.
Not all critical infrastructure is dependent on machines. Additionally, it relies on knowledgeable human personnel to operate, fix, and monitor intricate systems. The reliability of these systems may be seriously compromised if automation replaces significant portions of the workforce without adequate preparation or retraining, putting everyone at risk.
And I’m not the only one who is worried. Not just cybersecurity professionals are concerned about China’s unbridled AI development. Regardless of technical expertise, an increasing number of Americans are starting to see the dangers of letting authoritarian governments control this potent technology’s destiny.
Jimmy Quinn, national security correspondent for National Review, recently covered the broad opposition to China’s AI strategy. In a Mercury Analytics survey for the American Edge Project, 2,000 Americans expressed concern that if China takes the lead in AI, it might endanger American national security, allow for censorship and surveillance, and give China a substantial economic edge.
They have good reason to be worried.
The goal of China’s AI model is not to empower its people. Its purpose is to keep an eye on and manage them. It weakens the basis of free and open societies and strengthens the government’s hold on power rather than increasing popular resilience.
There will be dire repercussions for the US if this approach is adopted without opposition. We run the risk of falling behind in important areas of innovation, being excluded from new digital markets, and being encircled by a growing number of nations that support surveillance and authoritarian cyber control.
This is not a menace from the far future. The ideals that will shape global technology and, eventually, the global economy are up for debate today.
I want to be clear. AI is not a threat in and of itself. However, whether AI safeguards or jeopardizes our freedom and prosperity will depend on who controls it and how it is incorporated into our infrastructure.
We must set an example for our democratic allies, including the United States. This entails making investments in moral AI, insisting on development transparency, and holding dishonest people responsible.
We are currently writing the future in code. Someone else will write the rules if we don’t. Furthermore, they might not be thinking about freedom. We have a race to win.
Dave Hatter is a cybersecurity consultant at Intrust IT and an award-winning technology professional with more than 30 years of software engineering and cybersecurity experience. Since 2015, he has also been Fort Wright’s mayor.
