China's ambitions to become an AI superpower by 2030 are well documented. The country has invested heavily in AI research and development. But there are growing concerns about how China is using artificial intelligence, particularly facial recognition, to create a super-surveillance police state that it uses against Muslim Uyghurs and other minority groups.
Reports have emerged that Uyghurs and other minorities have been subjected to mass surveillance, with cameras and AI systems used to track their movements and monitor their activities. In some cases, based on the data collected by these systems, people have been arrested and detained with little or no trial.
Indeed, Orwell himself could not have imagined such a completely repressive system. The Chinese government's use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology is a gross abuse of power and a violation of basic human rights.
Even more worrying is that China's use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology is not limited to its borders. The country exports this technical infrastructure to autocratic countries around the world, helping them become techno-dictatorships. Chinese surveillance technology has been exported to countries including Venezuela, Ecuador, Zimbabwe and Uganda. This is a worrying development, as it allows these regimes to further consolidate power and stifle dissent, just like China.
Exporting artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to autocratic countries is just one example of how China increasingly threatens the free world. It also uses its economic power to bully smaller countries and engages in cyber espionage and intellectual property theft. These actions undermine the principles of the rule of law and free and fair trade that underpin the world economy and threaten the stability and security of the international system.
In light of these developments, the US must take action to protect its interests and those of its allies. In particular, the United States should stop China from buying certain military technologies that would enable the development of AI and other similar technologies.
While this may seem like a drastic measure, given China's aggressive behavior and use of technology for nefarious purposes both at home and abroad, it is necessary.
China's latest wave of "spy balloons" may seem absurd, but such incursions from Beijing reveal China's deeper intent to expand its techno-espionage. Consider TikTok, the most widely used social media platform in the Western world, developed by the Chinese company ByteDance. The company collects large amounts of data that it says is only stored on servers in the US and Singapore, but based on multiple verified leaks, we know that this data is often accessed by engineers in China. The reach of Beijing is never far away.
ChatGPT, the latest chatbot to take over the internet, will also be killed by the Chinese Communist Party. GPT is a powerful AI language model capable of producing human-like text and has many potential applications, including automation and content creation.
Giving China access to GPT and other advanced AI technologies would give the country a huge advantage and increase its ability to spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion.
It is important that the United States and its allies take measures to prevent China from acquiring these technologies.
China's ambitions to become an AI superpower should be approached with care and caution. The country has made significant progress in this area and the use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to create a super surveillance state and export this technology to autocratic countries cannot continue.
China is currently the leading technological dictatorship in the world and wants to replicate this model all over the world. The United States and its allies must take action to protect their interests and prevent China from using these technologies to hold the free world hostage.
Kuzzat Altay is an American Uighur entrepreneur, technology entrepreneur, and human rights activist. He is the founder and CEO of Cydeo and a Harvard Business alumnus. He previously served as president of the American Uighur Association.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.
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