Huawei Executive Says China Must Accelerate AI Development Despite US Safety Pause Calls

During a Q&A session at Huawei Connect, Huawei Rotating Chairman Eric Xu stated that Chinese AI developers need to accelerate rather than slow down AI progress. He explained that Chinese AI models currently lag behind and are mostly open-source, meaning domestic developers must advance further before they can truly experience and understand the frontier risks of advanced AI. The statement highlights a fundamental strategic split in the global AI landscape between Western calls for safety regulation and Chinese priorities focused on technological catch-up. It underscores how differences in computing capacity and model transparency influence national perspectives on balancing innovation speed against potential AI risks. Xu noted that because leading US AI models rely on immense compute capacity and remain proprietary, their true internal complexity is mostly known only to their creators. However, he emphasized that Huawei still advocates for balancing AI risk management with capability growth to ensure AI is developed for good rather than harm.