Armenia may face the need to choose between American and Chinese models of artificial intelligence development. According to Reuters, Washington is preparing to warn partners who have signed the US-backed statement on AI cooperation that participation in competing international initiatives may be incompatible with the American format.
Armenia is among the 35 signatories of the Joint Statement on AI Opportunity Partnership. According to Reuters, the US State Department has prepared a draft letter stating that it is unacceptable to simultaneously participate in duplicating mechanisms if their requirements contradict the principles of the American initiative. China is not directly mentioned in the document, but US authorities are concerned about the expansion of the Chinese World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization.
Washington pays special attention to Kazakhstan, which, according to Reuters, is currently the only known country to have joined both American and Chinese initiatives simultaneously.
For Armenia, the situation is particularly interesting against the backdrop of Yerevan's course towards diversifying international ties. In June, the Armenian side signed an agreement with the US on AI cooperation, which provides for the development of supply chains for artificial intelligence, data centers, the semiconductor industry, specialist training, scientific research, and access to computing power.
At the same time, Armenian authorities emphasize that the expansion of cooperation with the US and the EU is not directed against Russia, Iran, or China. If Washington's position is formalized in its current form, Yerevan may need to seek a balance between the desire to diversify external ties and the intensifying technological rivalry between the US and China.