China to become close rival of ChatGPT: Microsoft President Brad Smith
According to Microsoft President Brad Smith, Chinese research organizations and companies will emerge as major rivals of ChatGPT in the development of generative AI. Smith sees three players at the forefront of the industry: Open AI with Microsoft, Google, and the Beijing Academy of Artificial Intelligence. The competition to innovate has become "enormously competitive", as Smith puts it in an interview with Nikkei Asia in Tokyo.
Generative AI, the technology that powers ChatGPT, can produce text and images with near-human levels of sophistication. However, concerns have been raised about its potential negative impacts. Among them are fears that it could automate many jobs, spread misinformation, infringe on copyrights, compromise privacy, and leak sensitive information.
To address these concerns, Smith suggests that the solution is not to stop innovation, but to use existing products and improve them. AI can be a tool as well as a weapon, he says, using cyber attacks as an example. The best way to defend against such attacks is through technology innovation, Smith asserts.
AI can also address labor shortages, one of the biggest challenges facing Asia. "There is no other way to grow GDP," Smith said.
Smith believes that if we can combine the best minds with the best technology, we can outperform the adversaries of the world's democracies. The real lesson from the war in Ukraine is that technology innovation, when pursued well, can lead to stronger defense at the expense of strong offense, he concludes.
