4 steps to developing responsible AI.

• Position: Artificial intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) is arguably the most disruptive technology of the information age. It stands to fundamentally transform society and the economy, changing the way people work and live. The rise of AI could have a more profound impact on humans than electricity.

But what will the new relationship between humans and intelligent machines look like And how can we mitigate the potential negative consequences of AI How should companies forge a new corporate social contract amid the changing relationship with customers, employees, government and the pubic

In May, China announced its Beijing AI Principles, outlining considerations for AI research and development, use and governance.

In China, the zeitgeist around AI has been more intense than around other emerging technologies, as the country is positioned to harness the tremendous potential of AI as a means to enhance its competitiveness in technology and business.

According to Accenture research, AI has the potential to add as much as 1.6 percentage points to China's economic growth rate by 2035, boosting productivity by as much as 27%.

In 2017, the central government launched a national policy on AI with significant funding. The country already tops the AI patent table and has attracted 60% of the world's AI-related venture capital, according to Tsinghua University's report.

We're already seeing the impact of AI across many industries. For example, Ping An, a Chinese insurance company, evaluates borrowers' risk through an AI app. On the other hand, AI has generated a plethora of fears about a dystopian future that have captured the popular imagination.

Indeed, the unintended consequences of disruptive technologies - whether from biased or misused data, the manipulation of news feeds and information, job displacement, a lack of transparency and accountability, or other issues - are a very real consideration and have eroded public trust in how these technologies are built and deployed.

However, we believe, and history has repeatedly shown, that new technologies provide incredible opportunities to solve the world's most pressing challenges. As business leaders, it is our obligation to navigate responsibly and to mitigate risks for customers, employees, partners and society.

Although AI can be deployed to automate certain functions, the technology's greatest power is in complementing and augmenting human capabilities. This creates a new approach to work and a new partnership between...