U.S. proposes emergency AI hotline with China

Neal Rothschild

Xi Jinping and Donald Trump stand side by side in Beijing with Trump's right hand on Xi's left shoulder — Chinese President Xi Jinping with President Trump in Beijing in May. Photo: Evan Vucci - Pool/Getty Images

The U.S. has proposed to China a "notification mechanism" for artificial intelligence incidents related to national security, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday.

The big picture: Competition with China has been a central argument against efforts to "pace" AI development. But the proposal shows the world's two leading AI powers are also exploring ways to communicate about potentially dangerous incidents.

The details: Bessent's comments about the warning system, reported by the AP, came out of talks between the U.S. and China ahead of a White House meeting Thursday between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Xi is due to arrive Wednesday for the state visit.

What they're saying: "We think that just like any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very important," Bessent told reporters after conversations with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York.

Zoom out: President Trump has taken a more active role in the AI policy debate in recent days. Over the weekend, he called for an "AI Force" and said he'll name an AI czar soon.

Over the last week, he has brushed aside widening fears of catastrophic AI-caused outcomes in pushing for an all-gas, no-brakes approach to scaling the technology.
That attitude is driven by fear of a market crash and potential recession if the AI boom wanes, the New York Times reported based on Trump's private conversations.

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U.S. proposes emergency AI hotline with China

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