Image credit: The Byteline

In a lively exchange at a panel discussion in Paris, just before a major AI summit, Fu Ying, a former Chinese official and now academic at Tsinghua University, humorously critiqued an extensive AI safety report led by Professor Yoshua Bengio, known as the "AI Godfather."

The report, co-authored by 96 experts worldwide, was the subject of some light-hearted banter when Fu remarked on its length, noting her struggle to get through its 400-page Chinese translation.

The summit, aimed at addressing AI's societal, governance, and environmental impacts, saw Fu Ying questioning the title and focus of the AI Safety Institute, where Bengio is involved.

She highlighted China's alternative, "The AI Development and Safety Network," stressing its focus on collaboration rather than just safety.

The event, which will draw participants from 80 countries including tech moguls like Sam Altman of OpenAI, Brad Smith from Microsoft, and Sundar Pichai of Google, underscored the global race in AI technology. Notably absent from the guest list was Elon Musk, though his attendance remains uncertain.

Fu Ying's comments reflected broader geopolitical tensions influencing AI development. She lamented the detrimental effect of U.S.-China relations on global AI safety efforts, describing a stark contrast between the rapid scientific progress and deteriorating international relations.

She painted a picture of China's AI landscape as an "explosive period" of innovation post-2017, cautioning, however, that rapid development brings inherent risks.

Fu Ying advocated for open-source AI foundations as a means to enhance safety through transparency and community oversight, contrasting this with the proprietary approaches of many U.S. tech giants.

Bengio, on the other hand, expressed reservations about open-source models, citing the potential for misuse by criminals. He noted, however, that open-source frameworks like that of DeepSeek made it easier to identify safety issues compared to closed systems like ChatGPT.

The summit continues with key political figures like French President Emmanuel Macron, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and U.S. Vice President JD Vance set to discuss AI's role in public sectors, employment, and risk mitigation.

Additionally, a new $400 million international partnership was announced to fund AI projects for public good, such as in healthcare.

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