Tokyo | It might seem counterintuitive to Western observers, but China’s insistence on installing Communist Party doctrine and strict ethical controls into its artificial intelligence systems could give it a competitive edge in the global AI race.

While companies such as BHP, Commonwealth Bank and Woolworths publicly champion partnerships with OpenAI and Microsoft, researchers at Georgetown University’s Centre for Security and Emerging Technology suggest these Western large language models lack the robust decision-making frameworks that Chinese systems are building.