G7 Unites on AI Aspirations, Lags China on Deliverables

Technology featured heavily at last weekend’s G7 meetings. The Hiroshima Leaders’ Communiqué, named for the G7 host city, recognized the need to “take stock” on generative AI, which it calls “increasingly prominent across countries and sectors.” The clearest action item listed in this section tasks ministers from G7 nations to hold discussions on generative AI before the end of this year.

The group of seven rich democracies (the U.S., UK, Japan, Italy, France, Canada, Germany, plus the European Union) chose to focus on AI following the dissemination of new AI regulations from China, one of the group’s unmistakable concerns. China’s draft regulations on generative AI, which were released last month and follow previous regs targeted at deep fakes, grant Chinese users stronger privacy protections from emerging AI applications than their G7 peers. For all their condemnation of China—and parallel interest in regulating AI—member states may stand to learn from aspects of China’s approach.

China’s role as an unnamed catalyst is palpable in the technology and economy sections of the communiqué. Just under supporting Ukraine and nuclear nonproliferation, the statement pledges to, “coordinate an approach to economic resilience and economic security that is based on diversifying and deepening partnerships and de-risking, not decoupling.”

Read the whole article here via Forbes.