The number one reason I hear for not regulating AI is that if we do China will beat us, and if China beats us, we are all screwed, because they would use AI to different ends than we would.
I'm not entirely clear on what, exactly, we're concerned that China will "beat" us to. Domestic surveillance? That's their deal. Strategic intelligence gathering? What is the mechanism by which "AI" advancements create an edge there? General technological innovation? That's speculative "superintelligence" stuff. More powerful LLMs? Have at, why should we care?
On the other hand, if China are able to dramatically augment their military capabilites using AI, that would be cause for concern. And it would be catastrophic if they're able to make an AI super-hacker and hijack our power grids and financial institutions.
Also, I constructed those last two sentences by describing well established existing concerns and then inserting "AI".
I might also wonder how the lo mein at my favorite Chinese restaurant will taste after being enhanced with AI, or how much more dominant the Chinese diving team will become once their coaches start using AI. Will K-Pop and J-Pop fade into obscurity after the arrival of AI-powered C-Pop? And will the top European football leagues still be home to the world's most talented players if the Chinese Super League wins the AI race? So much to worry about!
"Have we learned nothing?"
The tl;dr but completely accurate answer: No.
I'm not entirely clear on what, exactly, we're concerned that China will "beat" us to. Domestic surveillance? That's their deal. Strategic intelligence gathering? What is the mechanism by which "AI" advancements create an edge there? General technological innovation? That's speculative "superintelligence" stuff. More powerful LLMs? Have at, why should we care?
On the other hand, if China are able to dramatically augment their military capabilites using AI, that would be cause for concern. And it would be catastrophic if they're able to make an AI super-hacker and hijack our power grids and financial institutions.
Also, I constructed those last two sentences by describing well established existing concerns and then inserting "AI".
I might also wonder how the lo mein at my favorite Chinese restaurant will taste after being enhanced with AI, or how much more dominant the Chinese diving team will become once their coaches start using AI. Will K-Pop and J-Pop fade into obscurity after the arrival of AI-powered C-Pop? And will the top European football leagues still be home to the world's most talented players if the Chinese Super League wins the AI race? So much to worry about!