‘No harm to citizens’: Forrest facilitates historic US-China talks on AI, nuclear security

Mining billionaire and Minderoo Foundation founder Andrew Forrest has helped bring about the first public discussions between the US and China on artificial intelligence and its influence on military and nuclear security.

The virtual panel discussion How will artificial intelligence impact security relations between the United States and China? US and Chinese perspectives was hosted by the Washington DC-based Brookings Institution and Beijing’s Tsinghua University on Saturday (Australian time).

Describing AI as “the most brilliant, but dangerous, tool that has ever been created”, Forrest has been working towards the official talks for several years, with the dialogue meeting secretly on 11 occasions since 2019.

Mining magnate Andrew Forrest has been working with experts on the uses of AI since 2019.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

“This forum leads the world in ensuring no harm comes to civilians through the misuse of Artificial Intelligence,” the Perth-based magnate said at the US-China Track II Dialogue on Artificial Intelligence and National Security.

“Used correctly, it can actually be even more powerful than the nuclear peace we’ve enjoyed for some 80 years.”

“In conflict zones… the downside of AI and technology is on full display, where it strips away empathy, where decisions are made by machines on only information which it’s been fed, and those decisions can be absolute rubbish.

He also extolled a recent agreement – albeit non-binding – between Presidents Joe Biden and Xi Jinping on ensuring human control of nuclear weapons.

“We are pursuing global leaders, and we’ve had an excellent example in the United States [with] President and the Chinese President reaching an agreement that they’re going to put in place a safe system, a human system for the use of nuclear.”

Moderated by John L. Thornton China Centre director Ryan Haas, the panel also included former Biden administration under-secretary of defence for policy and Brookings expert Dr Colin Kahl, Tsinghua University Centre for International Security and Strategy deputy director Xiao Qian, Tsinghua fellows Dr Dong Ting and Dr Lu Chuanying, former Brookings AI expert Dr Chris Meserole and Hoover Institute fellow Dr Jacqueline Schneider, whose research includes wargaming and crisis simulation.

Kahl praised Forrest’s input, saying the talks “would not be possible without the support of the Minderoo Foundation”.

“This ongoing series of meetings ... has brought together consistent teams of US and Chinese experts on artificial intelligence and national security to examine where there is consensus and dissensus on boundaries around uses of artificial intelligence in national security,” he said.

“One of the areas of agreement that has come to light during our Track II discussions is the aim to keep humans in control of nuclear launch decisions. This past November, at the meeting of Presidents Biden and Xi in Lima, Peru, Presidents Biden and Xi endorsed this principle.”

After recently pledging $40 million in aid to Gaza, Forrest said Minderoo didn’t want to simply look at avoiding negative AI scenarios but also look at its benefits.

“It’s made massive life-saving contributions. Brain cancer, which has always been almost untreatable, is now starting to be cracked thanks to AI,” he said.

“The mantra behind all of this, Minderoo’s funding, our ability to make AI a friend of humanity, not a terrible enemy in the military, is a simple four word slogan: no harm to citizens.”