Harnessing new tech for welfare of all humanity

The world is beginning to experience a great leap forward in science and technology, particularly with the development of robotics and artificial intelligence. This promises to enhance productive forces in the economy and improve mankind's relations with the natural environment.

In our modern times, we can say that this process began in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with the miniaturization of technologies such as computers.

Before this period, computers were only found at universities and in the offices of governments and big businesses. They occupied huge spaces, filling sizable rooms.

In the 1970s, computers and other technologies began to be available to individuals and were introduced into industry and agriculture. It was the beginning of the rise of personal computers, calculators and other devices such as cellphones.

Today science and technology have penetrated into all aspects of life. In health services, for instance, major progress has been made. The same is true of information and transportation.

A lot of the developments in the past revolutionized manual labor, and the same is true today. Today through their application in other spheres, including intellectual work, these technologies are becoming increasingly widespread.

In Western societies, there is widespread concern about these new technologies and the future of work.

It is true that historically the progress in science and technology eliminated some jobs but it also created new ones. Workers had to be re-trained, and employment eventually recovered.

However, today the speed at which new technologies are being introduced into production is creating concern that new jobs are not being created fast enough to keep pace with the advances in these new technologies.

In capitalist societies where the profit motive is the major driver of production, the anxiety is great. Experience has shown that business owners, in their drive to maximize profits, seek ways to cut costs. One of the main areas that they are always researching is how to reduce human labor. These new inventions are offering them this possibility.

This is not the only concern.

In today's world, traditional powers are seeing their influence ebb in international relations. We have moved very far away from the 1990s when the Soviet Union collapsed and the United States emerged as the only superpower.

Since then, US policy has been aimed at maintaining a unipolar world, often seeking to dictate how other countries run their own affairs. The means used have included unilateral economic sanctions, military intervention and threats of war.

Nowadays we can say that we are living in a multipolar world. Other powerful states have emerged that are advocating a different kind of relationship — win-win cooperation between states.

The number one advocate of this approach is the People's Republic of China. President Xi Jinping has made numerous proposals to improve the quality of life for the peoples of the world through friendly cooperation with all other nations.

This approach envisages that the development of robots and AI should be used in the interest of all people. The Chinese leadership has recognized the great potential of these technologies to bring peoples from various continents together. It has also recognized that this transformative technology could be misused and even put our world in grave danger, particularly when applied in the military sphere.

The US has announced that decisions on whether to use nuclear weapons will remain under human control. At the same time, its approach to the military use of AI cannot be ignored. The Pentagon has been spending heavily on autonomous military systems. In its fiscal year 2026 budget request, it sought $13.4 billion for autonomy and autonomous systems. Some commentators have alleged that, as in the case of Israel's military operations in Gaza, AI could be used to determine which targets to attack.

China has maintained the position that humans should have the final say in such a sensitive and potentially dangerous area. It is advocating that all countries adopt this position. This could reduce the risk of an accidental nuclear war.

On the one hand, AI and robotics have tremendous potential to improve the quality of life for all human beings. They can be used to lighten strenuous work and to perform tasks in hazardous working environments. And they may allow for shorter working hours, facilitate greater cultural development and provide more leisure time for working people.

On the other hand, they also risk displacing workers or deepening inequalities if driven solely by profit-maximizing models.

While recognizing the great potential of these technologies to improve quality of life, we must acknowledge the serious threats they can pose to humanity.

Finally, it should be noted that the development of these new tools was made possible largely by government funding for research and development.

We must work together to ensure that these inventions serve the welfare of humanity as a whole and prevent them from being used to promote the interests of a single state whose main intention is world domination.

The author is former president of Guyana.

The views do not necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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