Unlike in the United States, no one in China seems to be openly fretting over the prospect of humanity being destroyed by artificial intelligence soon. There, citizens access local government services through AI-powered digital employees; students receive instant feedback on written assignments by uploading a photo; and hotel guests collect parcels delivered to their doorsteps by robots.
The wide adoption of AI in today’s China underscores the country’s embrace of the novel technology. A Morgan Stanley survey released Monday found 80% of Chinese respondents used AI at least weekly, far exceeding the 54% in the US.
Even as US tech executives and researchers urge a slowdown in AI development citing its existential threat to humanity, the Chinese public has remained comparatively unfazed.
“This technology was created to serve humanity,” said Xu Jingyuan, 22, a business student from Beijing. “We shouldn’t see it as something to fear, but as something that brings greater conveniences to our lives.”
He said the government is “absolutely capable” of managing its risks.
Xu’s comments echoed those of several people CNN spoke to this week, reflecting a divide in attitudes toward AI in Chinese and American society, as well as differing levels of trust in respective governments’ ability to handle the potential threats posed by the technology.
“In the US, there is a general public perception that without whistleblowing, big corporations could escape accountability or scrutiny due to weak government oversight,” said Lian Jye Su, chief analyst at technology research firm Omdia.
“Whereas in China, I think there is this very strong confidence from the public that if any sh*t hits the fan, the government will step in.”
Analysts also point to differences in exposure to AI, public discourse around the technology, and the broader cultural and historical context as possible explanations for the divide.
In a survey by marketing research firm Ipsos earlier this year, 83% of Chinese respondents found AI-powered products or services exciting, whereas only 33% of those in the US felt similar way. Meanwhile, another survey by marketing consultancy Edelman showed that 86% of respondents in China said they trusted their own government to do what is right, compared with just 39% in the US.
A marked difference between the two nations is their political systems. While whistleblowing is routine in the US and policy debates often become messy, especially in an increasingly polarized democracy, China’s top-down power structure allows the one-party state to set agendas without facing open criticism.
by CNN – Why is China less worried about an AI dystopia than the US?
