Let the Light of Reason and Wisdom Illuminate the Sea of Stars of Artificial Intelligence —— A Review of Global Initiative on Artificial Intelligence Governance

　　As the third Belt and Road International Cooperation Summit Forum was held in Beijing, China officially released the Global Initiative on Artificial Intelligence Governance (hereinafter referred to as the Initiative). The launch of the Initiative fully reflects China’s responsible attitude, leading spirit and mission under the guidance of the concepts of "Community of Human Destiny" and "Community of Cyberspace Destiny" of the Supreme Leader and Chairman, and in the face of a new wave of global scientific and technological revolution symbolized by artificial intelligence and other technologies. It is an important measure for China to conform to the development trend of network and informatization, respond to the demands of developing countries and respond to the calls of the international community for effective governance of new technologies in the process of cyberspace international governance.

　　Cyberspace is not a virtual space, but a projection and manifestation of the real world. Judging from the international situation, the relations between major powers, international order, regional security, social thoughts and global governance are undergoing profound adjustments. Coupled with the impact of a century-old epidemic, the world has entered a "great change that has never happened in a century." From the development process of global informatization, artificial intelligence, quantum technology, blockchain and other technologies have developed rapidly, and the outline of a new round of scientific and technological revolution has gradually become clear. The new technology with the characteristics of intelligence, digitalization, informationization and virtualization not only profoundly affects the domestic industrial form, lifestyle and social form of each country, but also brings about the comparative change of power between countries and intensifies national competition. The security and interests of the country, the operation of enterprises, and the human rights and privacy of citizens are all concentrated in cyberspace as never before, and the data flows endlessly. Multilateral parties in the international community, whether governments, enterprises, communities or people, are looking forward to the gradual establishment of the cyberspace once known as the "wild west", forming a code of conduct and realizing global governance.

　　Artificial intelligence is not a castle in the air, but a simulation and extension of human brain thinking mode. It is regarded as one of the landmark technologies of this round of scientific and technological revolution, and has accelerated its development in recent years, showing new features such as deep learning, cross-border integration, man-machine collaboration, open intelligence and independent control. In daily life, people have applied artificial intelligence technology in all aspects, such as personalized recommendation system for online shopping, face recognition, artificial intelligence medical image recognition, artificial intelligence navigation, intelligent writing assistant and voice assistant, etc., and its various applications are as bright as the sea of stars. However, concerns about its safety and risks are unprecedented. People from all walks of life are generally worried that its risks and threats will not only lead to legal and ethical risks, but also lead to security threats in major fields such as society, economy and military affairs. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader pointed out: "New technologies such as artificial intelligence and virtual reality are changing with each passing day, and the combination of virtual economy and real economy will bring revolutionary changes to people’s production methods and lifestyles. This change will not happen overnight, nor will it be smooth sailing. It needs the joint efforts of all countries to fully amplify and accelerate its positive effects while minimizing possible negative effects. " The Chairman of the Supreme Leader advocates that China supports strengthening dialogue around artificial intelligence, and proposes to hold a special meeting in due course to promote the implementation of the principles of the G-20 artificial intelligence and lead the healthy development of global artificial intelligence. General Secretary of the Supreme Leader further pointed out that,"Technology is a sharp weapon for development, and it may also become the source of risks. It is necessary to look forward to the rule conflicts, social risks and ethical challenges brought about by the development of science and technology." A series of instructions from the Supreme Leader General Secretary pointed out the direction for China to participate in and lead the global artificial intelligence governance process.

　　In recent years, the international community has put forward some important initiatives to promote the healthy development of artificial intelligence. In 2019, UNESCO issued the Proposal on Ethical Issues of Artificial Intelligence, calling on governments, enterprises, social organizations and individuals of all countries to actively consider the ethical issues of artificial intelligence in the research and development, application and governance of artificial intelligence technology, and promote the global dissemination and implementation of ethical principles of artificial intelligence. G20 Group emphasized the ethical and social responsibility of artificial intelligence in the G20 Principles of Artificial Intelligence released in 2019, and encouraged countries to take ethical and responsible measures in the research, development, application and governance of artificial intelligence technology, and strengthen global governance cooperation to jointly promote the healthy development of artificial intelligence. In 2018, the European Commission put forward the Code of Ethics for Artificial Intelligence, which emphasized that the application of artificial intelligence must conform to human values and ethical principles, and suggested taking measures to strengthen the supervision and transparency of artificial intelligence and promote the sustainable development of artificial intelligence technology. Some non-governmental organizations have also put forward ethical norms and norms of artificial intelligence, emphasizing that artificial intelligence technology should serve human welfare rather than replace human beings, and promote the inclusiveness and sustainability of artificial intelligence technology. Generally speaking, the international community has realized the impact and challenges of artificial intelligence technology on society and human beings, so it advocates governments, enterprises and social organizations to actively think about the ethical and social responsibilities of artificial intelligence and take measures that meet ethical requirements to promote the healthy development of artificial intelligence technology.

　　There are similarities, emphases and differences in the artificial intelligence governance concepts of multilateral parties in the international community. China’s mission in this era is how to implement the instructions of the Supreme Leader General Secretary, conform to the development trend of global technology and industrial revolution, give consideration to the two major tasks of safety and development, seek common ground while reserving differences with all parties in the world based on his own governance practice, form an attractive Chinese plan, contribute to the international governance of artificial intelligence, and create a good internal and external environment for international cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.

　　In September 2021, the National Professional Committee for the Governance of New Generation Artificial Intelligence issued the "Ethical Code of New Generation Artificial Intelligence"; In December 2021, China issued the "Position Paper on Standardizing Military Applications of Artificial Intelligence"; On November 16th, 2022, China submitted China’s Position Paper on Strengthening the Ethical Governance of Artificial Intelligence to the United Nations General Assembly. China put forward the concept of common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable global security in regulating artificial intelligence, and advocated all countries to actively seek consensus and practice the concept of building a community of human destiny in the field of artificial intelligence. These concepts, principles, and documents have made an attempt to solve the problem of artificial intelligence governance. The "Initiative" launched by China this time not only embodies these ideas, principles and documents, but also absorbs the outstanding achievements of multilateral parties in the international community, including developing countries, in the field of artificial intelligence governance in recent years.

　　In the introduction at the beginning, the Initiative highly affirmed the rapid development, far-reaching influence and great opportunities brought to the world by artificial intelligence technology. At the same time, it also points out all kinds of risk challenges brought by this technology, and puts the key and significant issue of artificial intelligence governance related to the fate of all mankind in front of the world. The introduction puts forward the security concept, principles and mechanisms that all countries should uphold in the process of artificial intelligence governance, and highlights China’s consistent cooperative position in cyberspace, as well as the idea of promoting artificial intelligence governance together with various actors in cyberspace with an open attitude. Based on the technical attributes of artificial intelligence, China put forward development suggestions to continuously improve the safety, reliability, controllability and fairness of artificial intelligence technology.

　　The contents of the "Initiative" total eleven articles, which comprehensively, systematically and scientifically expounded China’s position and proposition from three levels: security, development and governance. These clauses not only respond to the general concerns and concerns of the international community, especially the developing countries, but also show China’s profound understanding of artificial intelligence governance. The first article of the Initiative puts forward that the development of artificial intelligence should adhere to the concept of "people-oriented", which is intended to warn that the development of technology cannot deviate from the direction of human civilization and progress. Article 2 proposes that when providing artificial intelligence products and services to other countries, we should respect the sovereignty of other countries, strictly abide by the laws of other countries, and oppose the use of artificial intelligence technology to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, which fully takes into account the demands of developing countries that the development of artificial intelligence technology will pose a threat to their national security and sovereignty. For example, some countries have been worried that artificial intelligence technology will be used for military purposes, thus posing a threat to international peace and stability; In addition, some countries worry that artificial intelligence technology will be used to manipulate elections, disrupt financial markets and create social divisions, which will have a negative impact on social stability. The third article puts forward that the development of artificial intelligence should adhere to the purpose of "intelligence is good", which is not only a supplement to the last article, but also the common wish of many artificial intelligence developers and practitioners. Article 4 puts forward that all countries have the equal right to develop and use artificial intelligence, aiming at avoiding and eliminating the new digital divide caused by artificial intelligence.Oppose countries with corresponding technological advantages to use artificial intelligence to suppress, contain and block the development of artificial intelligence in other countries, and block and interfere with the development of artificial intelligence in the world. In the following items, the Initiative comprehensively shows that China is open and fair with the international community in the field of artificial intelligence governance from the aspects of testing and evaluating the risk level of artificial intelligence, establishing and improving relevant laws and regulations, adhering to the principles of fairness and non-discrimination, putting ethics first, actively developing the development and application of related technologies for artificial intelligence governance, and persisting in dialogue and cooperation, extensive participation, consensus and gradual progress, and promoting multi-stakeholders to form a broad consensus in the field of artificial intelligence governance.

　　At the end, the Initiative specifically calls for enhancing the representation and voice of developing countries in the global governance of artificial intelligence. Seeing this, and then connecting with the third "One Belt, One Road" international cooperation summit forum being held in Beijing, the vast number of developing countries gathered in Beijing, eager to catch the express train developed by China, hoping to hear the voice of China, including the hope that China will speak for the vast number of developing countries on the major issue of artificial intelligence governance in the current international community. China is an active promoter and practitioner of international governance of cyberspace. In 2015, the Chairman of the Supreme Leader put forward the concept of "building a community of destiny in cyberspace" for the first time in the second world internet conference, and deeply explained the "four principles" and "five propositions" of Internet development and governance, which attracted wide attention from the international community. Today, the launch of the Initiative once again reflects China’s determination to implement the concept of "Building a Community of Cyberspace Destiny" by Chairman of the Supreme Leader, its image and mission as a responsible big country in cyberspace, and its unremitting efforts to practice fairness and justice in the process of international governance in cyberspace.

　　At present, there are three key words in the process of international governance of cyberspace, namely peace, security and development. In the field of artificial intelligence governance, the three themes have not changed fundamentally: first, the basic principles of artificial intelligence governance concept are the common values of equality, fairness and justice, sharing and governance, or the jungle law of the jungle; The second is the basic attitude towards artificial intelligence governance, whether it is laissez-faire or legal supervision on the basis of respecting the network sovereignty of various countries; The third is the basic position on artificial intelligence governance, whether it is used as a means to benefit mankind and maintain peace and stability, or as a deterrent, preemptive, or even as a tool to interfere in other countries’ internal affairs, create conflicts or even wage war. The development of artificial intelligence technology has aggravated the complexity of human security. In this new field, competition between countries is intensifying, government governance is being impacted, and social structure has undergone tremendous changes. How to deal with it, the international community needs new wisdom, new thinking and new paths.

　　Let the light of reason and wisdom light up the starry sea of artificial intelligence. It is predicted that in the future, China will continue to unite all multilateral parties in the international community, especially the developing countries, and continue to launch the best practice cases and specific road maps for artificial intelligence governance around the concept of "building a community of cyberspace destiny" with the launch of this Initiative as a new starting point. This is not only the mission of China, but also the demand of developing countries, a concrete action to follow the law of cyberspace development, and an inevitable choice for human beings to meet the era of artificial intelligence.

　　(Zhang Li, researcher, China Institute of Contemporary International Relations)