U.S., China Discuss AI Alerts

Washington and Beijing weighed AI safety alerts as Trump and Xi prepared to meet.

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Updated Sep 21, 11:47am ET

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What happened

The United States proposed a U.S.-China AI notification mechanism so each government could warn the other about AI incidents that threaten national security. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the idea came up during New York talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng before this week’s Trump-Xi summit in Washington. The talks come as the tariff truce expires on November 10 and as AI safety fears move into policy debates. Bessent said the goal is more transparency between the top two AI powers. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the AI talks were separate from chip export controls. Chinese state media confirmed AI was discussed but did not endorse the proposal. Bessent said both sides agreed to meet again.

How each side covered it

From the left

Left-leaning outlets framed the proposal as a risk-reduction channel, with cooperation treated as the missing piece in a dangerous AI race. Al Jazeera emphasized warnings that guardrails are needed around fast-growing systems. It also placed the talks inside the wider contest for AI supremacy between Washington and Beijing.

From the right

Right-leaning outlets framed the proposal through national security first, while stressing Trump’s drive to keep U.S. AI dominance. The New York Post highlighted an alert system for threats such as rogue AI and hacking. Fox Business leaned on Trump’s argument that America must stay ahead of China. The Federalist cast AI cooperation with Beijing as naïve and harmful to U.S. interests.

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