US is readying itself to force the choice between Washington and Beijing by dozens of countries as the global race to race through in the area of artificial intelligence continues to heat up, according to a source and an internal draft seen by Reuters.
The proposed policy would leave any country that wants to participate in China’s rival framework open to being cut out of what otherwise might form a United States-led coalition focused on access to the critical resources and technologies required for developing artificial intelligence.
Last year, Washington ended up starting a new initiative: Pax Silica, which claimed to enhance supply chains for all AI models, semiconductors and critical minerals. Some 20 nations have already joined the accord of which the biggest US partners are Japan, Australia and South Korea.
But Kazakhstan has become a special worry for Washington due to its involvement in both the US-backed project and China’s parallel effort. Central Asian country is also regarded as a significant potential source of important critical minerals, which may develop advanced technology in the future.
The draft letter from the US State Department is said to be written to 35 countries that signed the US “AI Opportunity Statement” in June. The group puts together countries that are part of Pax Silica, and those that have voiced interest in closer regional cooperation with Washington on AI.
The US is keen to boost its standing in the global AI arms race and restricting China from gaining access to resources and global connections to help with its tech advancement. The transformative white knight of AI is seen not just as a key driver of economic development but as a method capable of bolstering national security and fortifying military strength.
China is building an international AI blueprint to compete with the United States. This June, the Chinese President Xi Jinping announced the “World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization,” as a way of promoting China’s open-source AI technology and calling for more cooperation among nations.
But Kazakhstan’s participation in both programs has raised a red flag in Washington and has brought a difficult challenge to countries as they try to navigate an increasingly fractured global technology world.