U.S. and China Will Start Discussing A.I. Safety, Bessent Says
U.S. and China Will Start Discussing A.I. Safety, Bessent Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/world/asia/china-us-ai-safety.html
Publish Date: 2026-05-14 23:55:00
Source Domain: www.nytimes.com
- The United States and China are planning to discuss artificial intelligence (A.I.) guardrails, including protocols to prevent powerful A.I. models from falling into the hands of nonstate actors.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced this during an interview from Beijing, though he did not provide dates for these discussions.
- This conversation could be the first time the two countries address the issue formally during President Trump’s second term.
- Concerns on A.I.’s potential weaponization by hackers, terrorists, or its spiral out of human control are increasing rapidly.
- There remains competition between the U.S. and China for A.I. supremacy, affecting cooperation on safety.
- The U.S. believes it is ahead in A.I. development, hence plans to implement its best practices and values globally.
- Different perspectives on A.I. threats exist between the U.S. and China.
- Shared risks of A.I., like its use in developing biological weapons, have also been highlighted.
