Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – The United States (US) is starting to fire at China’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology.
US cybersecurity experts are urging a Congressional panel to act quickly to counter the threat posed by Chinese-made AI.
It is feared that the US military, business community and technology sectors will be left behind by China’s efforts to dominate the world economy.
AI is programming that can produce realistic text, images and other media from data entered into a computer model. Generative AI models learn the patterns and structure of that data, then generate new data that has similar characteristics.
“It can also crack any code and is a truly neutral cybersecurity system,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., chairman of the U.S. Courts, Intellectual Property and Internet Subcommittee, quoted from The Well NewsFriday (20/10/2023).
Cybersecurity experts say China often does not compete fairly, and often hacks US computer systems.
“China is trying to cheat its way to the industrial peak of the 21st century,” said Benjamin Jensen, a senior fellow in the International Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
“The scale of the theft is very worrying,” he added.
He said one in five US companies have had their intellectual property stolen, most often from Chinese government agents. Intellectual property usually refers to patents and copyrights that give inventors and authors exclusive legal rights to profit from their innovations.
The risk of theft is greatest among small businesses, which account for 44% of the US economy.
Not only the business sector, the Department of Justice and the US Military have been investigating other infiltrations by the Chinese government. The country is accused of spreading a disinformation campaign on social media that said the fires in Maui, Hawaii, that killed 98 people in August were caused by US military weapons tests.
Congress is trying to find new strategies to deal with this problem.
One of the suggestions discussed at the hearing was international agreements and collaborative efforts to block AI intruders.
Lawmakers also discussed the need for more funding as China nearly outspends the US in manpower, equipment and AI development programs. The US government plans to spend US$5.5 billion on AI next year, while China has already spent US$14.75 billion.
“Congress must play a role in establishing an appropriate governance structure,” said John Brennan, general manager of data management company Scale AI.
Several bills are pending in Congress that seek to balance cybersecurity with the risk of government interference that hinders technological development. They focus on protecting data that can be stolen and used by adversaries in AI models.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
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