HONG KONG (Reuters) – Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday discussed the global rise of artificial intelligence with Bill Gates and said he welcomed US companies, including Microsoft, to bring their AI technologies to China. , said two sources familiar with the talks.
During the meeting in Beijing, Xi also discussed Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) business in China, one of the sources said.
Microsoft co-founder Gates stepped down from the company’s board in 2020 to focus on philanthropic causes related to global health, education and climate change.
Comments on AI from Xi’s meeting with Gates were not disclosed in reports of the meeting released by Chinese state media, nor in Gates’ post on Friday reflecting on his visit to China.
Asked for comment, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation referred the post to Reuters.
The State Council Information Office and Microsoft, which handle media inquiries on behalf of the Chinese government, did not respond to requests for comment.
Xi has previously said China needs to seize opportunities to harness AI to boost economic development, but is also reviewing new laws on the technology and rules for generative AI, and also warns of its risks. Was.
[1/2] Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates addresses the National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, August 16, 2022.Reuters/Kim Hong Ji/Pool/File Photo
The meeting with Gates comes at a time when US-China relations are at their worst in decades, with AI becoming a major flashpoint.
The United States has launched a series of export controls aimed at restricting China’s AI development, while China has cracked down on consulting firms and banned some sales in China by US semiconductor maker Micron (MU.O). It is disturbing the overseas business world.
Microsoft is a backer of OpenAI, whose chatbot ChatGPT sparked a global AI buzz last year that also spread to China.
OpenAI and ChatGPT themselves are not blocked by Chinese authorities, but OpenAI does not allow users from some countries, such as mainland China and Hong Kong, to sign on.
Microsoft has been in China for over 30 years and has a large research center in China. Its Bing portal is the only foreign search engine accessible from within China’s so-called Great Firewall, but censors search results on sensitive topics.
US tech giants have faced problems in China in recent years as the country tightens control over the internet sector.
In 2021, the company pulled out of LinkedIn China and replaced the social networking app with a stripped-down version of its work-focused functionality.
The company announced in May that it would also shut down the app in China, citing fierce competition and macroeconomic challenges, but said it would maintain its presence there.
Reported by Hong Kong and Beijing Newsroom.Editing: Jason Neely and Jean Harvey
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