Author
Prof Mosi Li
Organisation/Institution
Shanghai University of International Business and Economics
Country
CHINA
Panel
International Regulation of Trade
Title
Toward International Cooperation on AI regulation by Trade and Economic Agreements: Asia’s Perspectives
Abstract
With the acceleration of AI iteration, especially with the booming of generative AI, the imperative for international cooperation on AI regulation is irrefutable. The development of AI has changed the global landscape, with much geopolitical, geoeconomic and geotechnological implications. And the very nature of AI technology – transboundary in structure and applications – necessitates a global approach, not merely to address the challenges and risks, but also to better harness AI’s potential for economic and social flourishing. International cooperation on AI regulation is already happening in trade and economic agreements, such as Digital Economic Partnership Agreement (DEPA). However, Cooperating on AI regulation is challenging, particularly for a rapidly evolving technology which is still in its relative infancy. Deeper and more extensive forms of international regulatory cooperation to support AI governance is needed. This paper will explore: (1) Is trade law regime the suitable venue for addressing non-trade issues arising in AI development, including privacy, ethnic, cybersecurity and national security? (2) How the trade and economic agreements will deepen the cooperation on AI regulation, such as disciplines on data governance for AI, access to AI compute, conformity assessment of AI models, government procurement, cooperation on AI standards etc.; (3)With the new wave of global legal pluralism, how can the AI provisions of trade and economic agreements interact with other global forums like G7, G20, the United Nations, and international standards development bodies; (4) Asia's rapid rise has been significantly boosted by trade and economic agreements, including Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership(CPTPP) and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership(RCEP). How can Asia play a better role in AI regulatory cooperation by economic and trade agreements under the digital geopolitics?
Biography
Mosi Li is a Research Professor at Shanghai University of International Business and Economics (SUIBE), China. She is the Executive Dean of Digital Trade Institute, SUIBE. She serves as an expert of National Digital Trade Expert Working Group of China and expert consultant dealing with digital trade policy for local governments. She writes in the areas of digital trade rules and policy, cross-border data flows, regional trade agreements. She has been granted many research projects by the China Social Science Foundation, Shanghai Municipal Government, APEC fund, etc. Her recent scholarship examines how China may seek its regulatory policy space in deep digital trade rules. Mosi achieved her Bachelor’s Degree in Law and Business from Wuhan University, her Master and Doctor Degree in International Law from East China University of Politics and Law. She was a Visiting Scholar at Law Center Georgetown University during 2016-2017 and a Visiting Fellow at World Trade Institute (WTI), University of Bern in 2023.
