Alphabet chairman Hennessy calls for AI-ethics agreement with China

TOKYO -- With the U.S.-China confrontation, the artificial intelligence revolution and growing regulation, technology companies have reached a turning point. "This [AI] technology is moving. It's moving so fast," said John Hennessy, chairman of Google parent Alphabet and former president of Stanford University. He stressed that an international agreement is the "only way" to address military uses of this technology, adding that China, "the No. 2 AI country," needs to be involved.

Hennessy and Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, run a scholarship program that attracts and trains students from around the world. Nikkei spoke with Hennessy while he was visiting Japan to visit universities and other institutions.