Huawei Chair Eric Xu urges faster Chinese AI research to expose AI risks, defying US slowdown calls
| Source: Techmeme | Original article
Huawei chair Eric Xu says Chinese AI researchers must accelerate development to understand AI risks, a stance that contrasts with calls in the United States to slow down AI progress.
Huawei’s chairman Eric Xu (also known as Xu Zhijun) told the Financial Times that Chinese AI researchers must “increase the speed of development” in order to “see the dangers” of the technology. His remarks, made amid a wave of calls from Silicon Valley to pause or slow frontier AI work, present a stark contrast to the caution urged by U.S. firms and investors.
Xu’s comment comes as Huawei publicly pledges to accelerate its AI ecosystem despite ongoing U.S. sanctions. The company has already signalled plans to push large‑parameter models such as its Pangu series into sectors ranging from scientific computing to drug‑molecule optimisation, and to broaden the reach of its HarmonyOS platform. By urging faster research, Xu implies that a rapid, home‑grown development cycle is the best way for China to identify and mitigate risks before they become global threats.
The statement matters because it underscores a widening strategic divide over how to manage AI’s societal impact. While figures like Michael Burry have recently criticised OpenAI and Anthropic for “self‑serving” slowdown appeals, and staff at those firms have expressed surprise at calls from industry leaders to curb progress, Chinese executives are signalling the opposite trajectory. The divergence could shape future standards, cross‑border collaborations and regulatory approaches, especially as the EU prepares its own AI risk framework.
What to watch next: whether Beijing will translate Xu’s call into policy incentives for faster AI research, how U.S. firms and policymakers respond to a more assertive Chinese stance, and if any joint safety initiatives emerge to bridge the gap between speed and security in the global AI race.
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