China is now the “good guy” on artificial intelligence, while Donald Trump’s United States is pursuing the technology in a dangerous “wild west” fashion, a former UN and UK government adviser has told MPs.
Prof Dame Wendy Hall, who served on the UN’s AI advisory board and co-authored a review of AI for Theresa May’s government, gave evidence to the House of Commons business and trade committee. She said China was supporting multinational efforts to establish global governance for AI, in contrast to the US.
According to Hall, America has created a race driven by profit-focused companies that depend heavily on hype. Her comments come amid growing concern among policymakers about how artificial intelligence should be regulated as the technology develops rapidly across borders.
The committee was told that the international debate over AI governance is increasingly shaped by the different approaches taken by major powers. Hall’s remarks suggest that, at least on this issue, China is presenting itself as more willing to work within collective frameworks than the Trump administration.
The broader concern is that without global coordination, AI could advance faster than governments can manage the risks. Hall’s evidence reflected a call for multinational oversight rather than a fragmented system in which individual countries and companies set their own standards.
Her testimony also highlighted the growing tension between commercial competition and public regulation. In her view, the American model is encouraging a high-speed contest among businesses eager to dominate the market, with little sign of the kind of coordinated control needed to address safety and accountability.
The discussion at Westminster underscores how AI has become not just a technological issue but a geopolitical one. As governments weigh the benefits and dangers of the technology, pressure is mounting for common rules that can apply across national borders.
Hall’s evidence to MPs places the UK in the middle of that debate, as lawmakers consider how best to respond to an industry developing quickly and unevenly around the world.
