Guardrails needed for AI growth

Lawmakers, political advisers call for more high-tech protections to be enshrined in law

DeepSeek's open-source artificial intelligence system has become popular worldwide since its release in January. (CHINA DAILY)

While embracing the rapid rise of artificial intelligence, deputies to the 14th National People's Congress and members of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference last week warned of the need for greater regulation to ensure that the technology is not abused.

With AI such as ChatGPT and China's own DeepSeek rapidly spreading across the globe, its application and regulation were a hot topic at China's largest annual political gathering, with many national lawmakers and political advisers expressing their keen interest in the integration of AI into various industries.

Zhang Yi, a CPPCC National Committee member from Shanghai, said the integration of AI with industries will greatly boost the development of new quality productive forces, and may change the underlying business logic in various traditional areas.

In the film industry, AI-generated images and videos can be used to partially replace traditional filming, and in the retail industry, AI could be linked to back-end systems to achieve unmanned operations, he said.

"We embrace AI. It can enhance the market competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises, provide a platform for innovators to practice and create job opportunities," said Zhang, who is also a partner at law firm King &Wood Mallesons.

"However, we've seen some problems caused by the rapid development of AI, such as discriminatory algorithmic decision-making, privacy violations and weak data security," he said, emphasizing that this uncertainty around the technology and associated risks will be a constant challenge for governance.

"It is essential that applications of AI are well-regulated through legislation, as we need to find a balance between high-quality development and high-level security, thereby promoting the healthy growth of the technology," he added.

Lu Lin, a deputy to the 14th NPC who is also a doctor from Shandong province, suggested the continued, cautious integration of AI into healthcare services, adding that regulation on big models should be used to guarantee data security, according to a quote from China News Service.