Chen Yunji's proposal
Chen Yunji, co-founder of the Chinese chipmaker Cambricon Technologies, has called for the introduction of universal ethical requirements for leading artificial intelligence models developed in China and the United States. According to the South China Morning Post, the request was made on Friday during an event in Shanghai, with the stated aim of reducing growing risks to society.
In his remarks, Chen proposed a universal “ethical verifier” to which all leading models should conform. The systems cited as examples include those developed by China’s DeepSeek and ByteDance and by U.S.-based OpenAI. The proposal therefore concerns not a single operator but a set of models regarded as reference points on both sides.
The cyberthreat context
Chen’s position comes within a framework in which, according to the source, the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence systems globally has coincided with a series of significant cyberattacks that have put critical infrastructure under pressure and compromised government servers. This is the factual premise cited by the article to explain the Cambricon co-founder’s appeal.
The executive also predicted that AI advances will continue at an even faster pace. It is this expectation that underpins his call for shared safeguards: if model capabilities grow quickly, the idea of common ethical rules becomes, in his view, a necessity rather than an option.
What is confirmed and what remains to be clarified
The material confirms Chen’s public statement, the date and location of the event, the references to DeepSeek, ByteDance and OpenAI models, and the link to recent cyberattack incidents. However, no details emerge on how the “ethical verifier” should work, who should manage it, what criteria it should apply, or whether there have been formal contacts between Chinese and U.S. authorities or companies.
It is also not specified whether the proposal has received support from other industry figures or institutions. At present, its significance is mainly symbolic: a representative of China’s semiconductor industry is suggesting a shared ethical framework with U.S. rivals, in a sector marked by technological competition and growing security concerns. It remains to be seen whether the appeal will translate into a concrete initiative, and with what international participation.
