Nick Corvino and Boshen Li
Transformative artificial intelligence (AI) poses many potential benefits for humanity’s future, but it also poses many risks. The People’s Republic of China (PRC) will likely play a prominent role in shaping this trajectory. As the recent decision (决定) document from the Third Plenum meetings in July made clear, AI is one of eight technologies that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leadership sees as critical for achieving “Chinese-style modernization (中国式现代化),” and is central to the strategy of centering the country’s economic future around breakthroughs in frontier science (People’s Daily, July 22). Beyond the level of national economic strategy, AI is also seen as crucial for gaining military advantage. AI technology is already being integrated into air defense systems, while large language models (LLMs) are being put to use in Cognitive Domain Operations around the world (China Brief; June 21; September 22, 2023). The PRC also seeks to shape international norms on AI, including on AI risks. In October 2023, Xi Jinping announced a “Global AI Governance Initiative (全球人工智能治理倡议)” (CAC, October 18, 2023).Despite the potential revolutionary significance of AI, for either good or ill, and its increasing importance in the eyes of the CCP leadership, publicly accessible survey data on what people in the PRC think about this technology is rare. To gain insights into this question, the authors conducted a survey to assess how students at Tsinghua University and Peking University (PKU) view the frontier risks of developing AI. Tsinghua and PKU are the two preeminent academic institutions in the PRC, many of whose graduates will be very influential in shaping the country’s future. These students may also be some of China’s most informed citizens on the societal implications of AI, with both schools housing prominent generative AI and safe AI development programs.
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