A Chinese government announcement translated by Youdao states that Brad Smith, the president of Microsoft, met with Wang Wentao, the minister of commerce of China, on Wednesday to talk about a variety of topics, including trade relations between Beijing and Washington and artificial intelligence.
As it seeks to revive its economy, China is making a point of demonstrating during the gathering that it is still friendly to American companies despite ongoing tensions with the United States.
Smith and Wang’s interaction is noteworthy because it occurs after Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Joe Biden met last month, a move that many claimed demonstrated China and the US are attempting to collaborate in areas with potential. Additionally, it conveyed a willingness to enhance the business environment for outside companies.
Wang stated at the conference that China is dedicated to offering foreign businesses improved services, according to a statement from the ministry of commerce in that nation. According to the readout, the Ministry of Commerce anticipates that Microsoft will contribute in a positive way to China-US artificial intelligence cooperation.
With its purported multibillion-dollar investment in ChatGPT developer OpenAI earlier last year, Microsoft is regarded as one of the major movers in the artificial intelligence space.
Chinese digital behemoths, such as Baidu, Tencent, and Alibaba, have also begun releasing competing goods and AI models of their own.
In recent years, China and the United States have been at odds over technology. Washington has attempted to limit China’s access to vital technologies like semiconductors, and recent U.S. export restrictions have specifically targeted Nvidia processors, which are needed to train AI models.
As per a White House summary, during the Biden-Xi conversation, the two leaders “affirmed the need to address the hazards of advanced AI systems and improve AI safety through U.S.-China government negotiations.”
That seems to have reflected in Smith and Wang’s encounter.
Source(CNBC)
