China urges global AI rules as safety fears grow worldwide

Beijing,UPDATED: Sep 15, 2026 19:36 IST

China on Tuesday called for stronger global governance of artificial intelligence, saying all countries should work together to develop the technology for the benefit of humanity and stop it from “getting out of control”. The call came as leading AI researchers and industry figures warned about the risks posed by rapidly advancing AI systems.

Responding to questions about concerns raised by AI experts, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said Beijing supported both AI development and stronger regulation. His remarks also came ahead of expected talks between Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump in Washington later this month, where AI governance is likely to be discussed.

“We noted recent remarks by some in the US AI industry,” Guo said. “As AI develops at an incredible speed, it’s all the more important to stay committed to developing AI for the positive, for good, and for the benefits of the people, to calibrate regulation and governance on AI, and to promptly strengthen safeguards to prevent it from getting out of control,” he said.

In a statement posted on the foreign ministry’s website, Guo said AI was “the collective wisdom and precious asset shared by all humanity” and that its development and governance required international cooperation. “AI development and governance require the practice of true multilateralism, with all countries working together to build a global governance framework on broad-based consensus,” he said. “No single country or enterprise can develop effective solutions on its own,” he added, saying China backed the United Nations playing the main role in global AI governance.

“China stands ready to join hands with all countries to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance, and develop AI for good and for all,” Guo said. He also said Beijing put equal emphasis on AI development and security and took seriously the inherent and secondary risks linked to the technology.

“We are committed to holding on to the bottom line of security, and we have been making continued efforts to improve laws and regulations, policies, application norms, ethics and rules to prevent the abuse and misuse of AI, and ensure that AI is safe, reliable and controllable,” he said. Guo added that Chinese authorities on Monday released the AI Safety Governance Framework 3.0, which reviewed and updated the classification of AI safety risks and set out recommendations on improving technological safeguards and wider governance measures.

Guo’s comments came amid a sharper debate in the US over the pace of AI development and the threat posed by increasingly powerful systems. Several top AI researchers and industry figures have warned that rapid and largely unhindered development of the technology could create unprecedented risks for humanity.

Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who recently left the company after previously working at OpenAI, has publicly warned that people developing advanced AI systems seriously believe the technology could potentially kill humanity by the end of the decade. Another Anthropic scientist, Evan Hubinger, backed that concern, saying he believed there was a greater than 10 per cent chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also urged caution over the pace of development, saying progress in AI has been rapid and would continue to be so, but “it should be slower”. “No amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness,” Altman was quoted as saying in media reports.

On Monday, Trump dismissed the warnings about AI, describing concerns over the technology as a “global warming scam” allegedly being promoted by the “radical left democrats”. In a series of social media posts, he said the only guardrail AI needed was a “strong and smart president, and the US has that”. He also spoke of a “sick conspiracy” against AI and data centres and said China would benefit from efforts to restrict the technology, adding, “Whoever wins AI, wins!”

The issue is now set against intense global competition over artificial intelligence, with safety and regulation emerging as major priorities. China’s latest remarks summed up its position that AI should continue to advance, but within a broader international framework built on cooperation, safeguards and shared rules.

With PTI Inputs

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