U.S. and China open communication line over alarming AI incidents
by Tom Howell Jr. · The Washington TimesTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that the U.S. and China are speaking directly about the dangers of artificial intelligence and that companies, not the government, are primarily responsible for keeping the fast-growing technology in check.
Mr. Bessent said he set up the “USA-China AI Dialogue” with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng over the weekend. The superpowers plan to alert each other about alarming AI-related incidents.
Officials will reconvene in Shenzhen, China, in two months to discuss the issue.
Speaking to CNBC, Mr. Bessent said the countries will have a recurring line of communication on AI dangers and an “incident line” to report alarming episodes.
Topics of discussion include uncontrollable AI agents or the use of AI by nongovernment organizations that hold influence in a given country.
The countries agreed to talk as debate rages about the potential dangers of unchecked AI, with some predicting it will eradicate humanity.
Some are calling for stringent regulation of the industry, which is reaping huge investments and is intertwined with the stock market.
Mr. Bessent put the onus on companies to behave responsibly, saying the Trump administration has no interest in granting its request for liability waivers.
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“These labs need to take responsibility for themselves. They can slow down anytime they want to,” Mr. Bessent said.
Liability waivers for AI companies would be “good business for them, bad business for the American people,” he said.
President Trump has characterized the pursuit of AI technology as a geopolitical race against China and other countries.
“The Chinese models are very powerful, even though they’re open models,” Mr. Bessent said Monday.
However, the Chinese “agreed that we are in the lead,” he said.
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The U.S. and China agreed to speak about AI ahead of a state visit to the White House this week by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Mr. Bessent said everything is on track despite unsubstantiated online rumors that Mr. Xi suffered a health incident in recent days.
“Everything’s a go,” the secretary said. “I think we’re going to have a great visit.”
Mr. Bessent said Mr. Trump and Mr. Xi “at the personal level, have a very good relationship, and we try to bring that down to the working level.”
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Tom Howell Jr.
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