Max Parasol's new book AI Development and the “Fuzzy Logic” of Chinese Cyber Security and Data Laws offers a valuable framework for understanding the competing goals of Chinese technology innovation initiatives and digital oversight regulations. Parasol is a research fellow on the Digital CBD Project, a qualified lawyer, and a former private equity professional with experience in both China and Australia. His comprehensive background and training come through in this strong new book.
While scholars and analysts have puzzled over how the Chinese government thinks it will be able to cultivate a robust, long-lasting digital economy under such uncertainty, Parasol instead argues that such uncertainty is precisely the point, a feature of this vision rather than a bug. Such “fuzzy logic,” as Parasol terms it, creates a space for strategic ambiguity, where the Chinese government can rein in corporations using their own fearful perceptions of Chinese government laws, which consequently...