US China plan official AI dialogue at Beijing summit as tech rivalry intensifies

Trump Administration Eyes First Official AI Dialogue With China At Beijing Summit With Xi Jinping: Report

In a bid to manage the escalating rivalry in artificial intelligence (AI) between the U.S. and China, both nations are reportedly considering initiating official discussions on the matter. The proposed talks are intended to address the dangers posed by unpredictable AI models, autonomous weapons systems, and potential attacks by nonstate actors using advanced open-source technologies. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is reportedly leading the American side on the AI track, while Beijing has yet to assign its counterpart, according to the report. Chinese vice finance minister Liao Min has been involved in preliminary discussions with Washington about establishing such a dialogue. Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, told the publication about China's openness to discussions on mitigating AI-related risks. White House did not immediately respond to Benzinga's request for comments. Biden-Era Talks Saw Limited Progress The U.S. and China had already opened formal AI talks under former President Joe Biden and Xi Jinping at a 2023 California summit, aiming to establish ongoing dialogue and ensure AI would not control nuclear launch decisions. In 2024, both countries agreed that humans, not AI, would retain authority over nuclear weapons use. However, the talks produced limited progress because China placed its foreign ministry, rather than technical experts, in charge of negotiations, Georgetown scholar Rush Doshi, who led the talks under Biden, told WSJ. Doshi said that the U.S. should have pushed harder for deeper technical engagement. US-China AI Tensions Intensify The proposed discussions come in the wake of Chinese President Xi Jinping's call for increased efforts in research and innovation. Xi emphasized the importance of "original and disruptive innovation" in China amid escalating global tech rivalry with the U.S. Meanwhile, the U.S. has been intensifying scrutiny over China's tech. In late April, the Trump administration accused China-linked groups of stealing U.S. AI technology on a large scale and warned it would step up enforcement against the unauthorized "distillation" of advanced AI models. In early April, a bipartisan group introduced the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act to curb Beijing's access to semiconductor equipment, arguing that gaps exist because U.S. allies haven't fully aligned with American export controls, allowing China to continue exploiting the loopholes. Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Image via Shutterstock Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs To add Benzinga News as your preferred source on Google, click here.

US, China considering discussions on AI rivalry during summit- WSJ By Investing.com

Investing.com-- Washington and Beijing are considering launching official discussions on artificial intelligence, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The considerations come with the two also potentially putting AI on the agenda for a U.S.-China summit in Beijing next week, between President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping. Get more cues on upcoming U.S.-China talks and the AI industry by subscribing to InvestingPro A key point of focus for both sides are the potential risks posed by AI models behaving erratically, autonomous military systems, and AI-driven attacks by non-state actors, the WSJ report said. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will lead the American side of AI discussions, while Beijing is yet to designate its counterpart, the WSJ reported. The planned discussions come amid growing focus on the use of AI in autonomous weapons and in large-scale cyberattacks. AI startup Anthropic recently decided to not release its most advanced model, Mythos, to the public, claiming that the model held the potential for facilitating widespread cyberattacks.