Exclusive: Xi Jinping welcomes U.S. artificial intelligence technology in China, says Bill Gates

June 16, HONG KONG - According to two sources familiar with the discussions, Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bill Gates on Friday addressed the worldwide expansion of artificial intelligence and said they welcomed American companies like Microsoft bringing their AI technology to China.

One of the individuals stated that during their meeting in Beijing, Xi also discussed the expansion of Microsoft's (MSFT.O) operations in ChinaIn order to concentrate on charitable efforts linked to global health, education, and climate change, Gates, who co-founded Microsoft, resigned from the company's board in 202 . In reports of the meeting released by Chinese state media or in Gates' Friday blog post summarizing his trip to China, the remarks on AI made at the Xi and Gates meeting were not made public.

In response to a query for comment, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pointed Reuters in the direction of the post. Microsoft and the State Council Information Office of China, which speaks with the media on behalf of the Chinese government, did not immediately reply to demands for comment.

A new law on the technology as well as guidelines for generative AI are being considered in China, according to Xi, who has previously stated that the government must grab possibilities to use AI to spueconomic development while also warning about its perils.

The timing of his meeting with Gates coincides with the worst state of US-China relations in decades, with AI serving as a major issue.

Microsoft supports Open . AI, whose chatbot ChatGPT sparked a global AI craze that has reached China last year.

Chinese authorities do not censor OpenAI or ChatGPT, although OpenAI does not allow users in some nations, including Hong Kong and mainland China, to sign up

Microsoft has had a significant research presence in China for over 30 years. The only international search engine accessible from inside China's infamous Great Firewall is its Bing portal, however its sensitive search results are blocked.As China tightened its grip over the internet industry in recent years, the American IT giant has encountered issues there.

In 2021, it discontinued LinkedIn China and replaced it with a more condensed version that was just dedicated to jobs.

It stated in May that it will similarly shut down that app in China, citing intense competition and macroeconomic difficulties, but added that it would still have a presence there.