George Soros launched an attack on China’s president Xi Jinping, singling out advancements in artificial intelligence in the hands of repressive regimes as a “mortal threat” to societies around the world. In a provocative speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the billionaire philanthropist and proponent of open societies said China was not the only authoritarian regime in the world but it was the wealthiest, strongest and technologically most advanced.

“This makes Xi Jinping the most dangerous opponent of open societies,” he said. Mr Soros drew attention to China’s social credit system, which consolidates individuals’ personal data in a central repository and is designed to judge a person’s trustworthiness. When it becomes operational, Mr Soros said, the database would “give Xi total control over the people.”