Shanghai moves to beef up online security

Shanghai launched a government initiative Tuesday to further beef up online security and privacy in the face of evolving security risks posed by artificial intelligence.

The Initiative calls for more attention to the growth of AI in terms of privacy protection, the values of algorithms and open cooperation.

It proposes that AI development must not come at the expense of user privacy. Therefore, laws on data protection in AI-based applications should be strengthened and there must be clear motives and interpretability of algorithms to avoid unfair effects of algorithms and datasets.

The initiative also emphasizes that the use of AI in the military must be exercised with prudence and worldwide standards should be set up to avoid security risks caused by incompatible technologies and policies.

Privacy protection is key to the AI industry and for Shanghai, a megacity with a population of over 24 million, privacy security and data regulation are of great concern, said Shi Weidong, vice chairman of the Shanghai Law Society.

Shanghai established the Shanghai Municipal Artificial Intelligence Industry Security Experts Advisory Committee Tuesday as an attempt to enhance safety development of the AI industry, said Chen Mingbo, deputy secretary-general of the Shanghai municipal government.

Shanghai is a pioneer in developing AI technology with more than 1,000 major AI-related enterprises. Microsoft and Amazon Web Services have recently announced to establish their AI research institutes in the city.