China Is A TechnoDictatorship. The U.S. Must Ban China's Access To AI

China's ambitions to become an AI superpower by 2030 are well documented. The country has invested heavily in artificial intelligence research and development. But there is growing concern about how China is using artificial intelligence, particularly facial recognition, to create a super-surveillance police state deployed against Uyghur Muslims and other minority groups.

There have been reports that Uyghurs and other minorities are subject to mass surveillance, with cameras and artificial intelligence systems used to track their movements and monitor their activities. In some cases, people have been arrested and detained based on data collected by these systems with little or no trial.

In fact, Orwell himself could not imagine such an oppressive system. The Chinese government's use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology is considered a serious abuse of power and a violation of human rights.

More worryingly, China's use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology is not limited to its borders. The country exports this technical infrastructure to autocratic countries around the world and helps them establish techno-dictatorships. Chinese surveillance technology has been exported to countries including Venezuela, Ecuador, Zimbabwe and Uganda. This is a worrying development because it has allowed these regimes to consolidate their power and suppress dissent, just like China.

Exporting artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology to authoritarian countries is just one example of how China increasingly threatens the free world. It is also leveraging its economic power to bully smaller nations into engaging in cyber espionage and intellectual property theft. These actions undermine the rule of law and the principles of free and fair trade that underpin the world economy and pose a threat to the stability and security of the international system.

In light of these developments, the United States must take steps to protect its interests and those of its allies. In particular, the United States should prohibit China from buying certain military technologies that enable the development of artificial intelligence and other similar technologies.

While this may seem like a drastic measure, given China's aggressive behavior and use of technology for nefarious purposes both at home and abroad, it is necessary.

The latest rumor of China's "spy bubble" may seem trivial, but Beijing's foray points to China's deeper intentions to expand the reach of techno-espionage. Consider TikTok, the most widely used social media platform in the Western world, developed by the Chinese company ByteDance. The company collects a lot of data, which it says is only stored on servers in the US and Singapore, but based on several verified leaks, we know that engineers in China often access this data. Beijing is never far.

Even ChatGPT, the latest chatbot to hit the web, will eventually be put together by the Chinese Communist Party. GPT is a powerful AI model with human-like text generation capabilities and has many potential applications, including in automation and content creation.

Giving China access to GPT and other advanced AI technologies would give the country a huge advantage and increase its ability to spread disinformation and manipulate public opinion.

The United States and its allies must take steps to prevent China from acquiring this technology.

China's ambitions to become an AI superpower must be treated with caution and caution. The country has made significant progress in this area, and the use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technologies to create a state of hyper-vigilance and export these technologies to authoritarian countries is unsustainable.

China is currently the biggest technological dictator in the world and wants to copy this model throughout the world. The United States and its allies must take steps to protect their interests and prevent China from using this technology to hold the free world hostage.

Kuzzat Altai is an American Uyghur businessman, technology entrepreneur, and human rights activist. He is the founder and CEO of Cydeo and a graduate of Harvard Business School. He was previously president of the American Uyghur Association.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author.