China speeds up legislation on AI

Residents are guided by AI robot Xiaotu in the New Service Center in Hangzhou Xiaoshan District on January 2. Long Wei from People’s Daily Online

China is hastening legislation related to artificial intelligence (AI), move insiders said would help regulate the AI industry and assist China to compete in the high technology field with others in the international arena. Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for the second session of the 13th National People’s Congress (NPC), said at a press conference on March 4  that the NPC Standing Committee has included in its five-year legislation plan AI law proposals such as a personal information protection law, a data security law and an amended law on science and technology progress.

Meanwhile, the NPC Standing Committee takes AI legislation as an urgent task and will conduct in-depth investigation and deliberation in an effort to provide a strong legal guarantee for the innovation and development of AI technology, Zhang said. Luo Jun, CEO of the International Robotics and Intelligent Equipment Industry Alliance, an industry think tank, told the Global Times on March 4 that “sound laws will help regulate the AI industry and prevent technology abuse.” Luo said that AI technology is the future and many countries have put it on their national development agenda. China has already made some achievements in AI technology development.

An AI start-up has made major breakthroughs in the development of person Re-identification (Re ID) technology, which enables users to search, recognize and track a person’s location via clothing, hairstyle and posture as captured by different cameras without the need for facial images. “We should continue to strengthen basic science research,” Luo said. “Only in this way can we develop more core technologies and reinforce our competitiveness.” A report released by the China Development Research Foundation and Sequoia China in September 2018 estimated that 99 percent of workers in agriculture, fisheries and forestry, 98 percent of workers in construction and 94 percent of workers who install and maintain power systems will be replaced by AI in 20 years. China’s Ministry of Education announced on February 26 that in 2019, China will open around 400 majors related to Big Data, AI and robotics in universities.

(Global Times)