US and Chinese leaders to meet for artificial intelligence safety and competition
US and Chinese leaders are preparing to meet to address safety concerns and potential notification mechanisms, overshadowed by global competition and export controls in the AI race.
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping plan to meet this week to discuss the global race for supremacy in artificial intelligence and the potential threats it may pose to humanity.
AI Race and Safety Summit
US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are preparing to meet this week as leaders of the two countries competing for global dominance in artificial intelligence. The meeting's backdrop features growing concerns regarding potential threats posed by artificial intelligence to humanity and national security.
The technological competition between the two nations casts a shadow over hopes of finding common ground regarding global AI safety. As China narrows the technology gap, both sides worry that the AI in each other's hands could cause them harm.
Contacts at the Ministerial Level
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent made statements following his meetings with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. These contacts were held ahead of the leaders' summit between Trump and Xi.
The discussions addressed the establishment of an artificial intelligence dialogue mechanism between the two countries. Additionally, a new notification mechanism was proposed for AI incidents that could affect national security.
Possible Agenda Items of the Meeting
Sun Chenghao, a senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University in Beijing, stated that the agenda could focus on risks that could harm both countries. These risks include cyberattacks, biological misuse, massive model failures, and the loss of human control.
Secretary Bessent stated that the US side proposed creating a notification mechanism between the US and China in cases where incidents reach a national security level.
Technology Policies and Export Controls
Trump has frequently stated that the US must maintain its technological superiority over China, asserting that whoever wins AI wins it all. In response, Beijing accused the US of AI monopolization, arguing that restricting access to advanced chips hinders China's growth.
Despite export controls, Chinese-origin AI models from companies like Moonshot AI and DeepSeek continue to challenge American leading models.
Shared Risks and Search for Solutions
While US allegations that China extracts capabilities from American models via distillation remain an issue between the parties, Chinese officials have denied these claims.
On the other hand, both nations face shared risks regarding critical infrastructure protection, cyber threats, and the loss of control over AI agents.