On Tuesday, China’s top newspaper accused the U.S. of applying "naked double standards" to AI model distillation while warning that artificial intelligence should not become a tool of great-power competition.

China Calls for Open AI Development

The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of China’s ruling Communist Party, said that AI is a new area of human development and should not be controlled by a handful of powerful countries, Reuters reported.

"Artificial intelligence is a new domain for human development, not a monopoly of great powers, and must not become an arena for zero-sum competition," the commentary said.

The newspaper called for the U.S. and China to cooperate to manage AI risks and create an open, inclusive and universal environment for the technology’s development.

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Beijing Accuses US of AI Double Standards

The commentary also targeted Washington’s concerns over AI model distillation, a technique in which developers use outputs from larger models to train smaller systems and reduce development costs.

China said U.S. companies also use the technique extensively, arguing that Washington treats it differently depending on who uses it.

"According to U.S. logic, when American enterprises use distillation it is an ‘industry standard practice,’ while when Chinese enterprises apply it, it constitutes an ‘attack,’" the paper said. "This is naked double standards."

The commentary accused the U.S. of elevating an industry practice to a national-security issue to maintain dominance in AI.

The White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

US-China AI Tensions Grow

The comments come as Washington and Beijing prepare for bilateral discussions covering AI safety and related technology issues.

Nvidia Corp. [(NASDAQ: NVDA)] CEO Jensen Huang is reportedly expected to join President Donald Trump at a state dinner honoring Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.

In May, Trump made his first state visit to China since 2017.

The U.S. has previously accused China of large-scale intellectual property theft from American AI companies, allegations Beijing has rejected.

Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.

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