Trump Rules Out Joint US-China AI Venture, Citing Secret Concerns
The US president stated that any collaboration would mean "giving away secrets" to America's primary economic competitor.
President Donald Trump has rejected the possibility of a joint venture with China for the development of artificial intelligence (AI), asserting that such a partnership would amount to "giving away secrets" to the United States' main economic rival. Trump made these remarks on Tuesday at an event in Washington.
Despite growing public apprehension regarding the potential risks of AI, Trump reiterated his stance against imposing restrictions that could impede future technological growth. This comes shortly after Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the White House, during which both nations announced the initiation of an AI dialogue, with further discussions slated for November. A new communication channel was also established to mitigate misunderstandings during AI-related incidents.
Speaking at the launch of America.gov, a new AI-powered website aimed at streamlining government services, Trump emphasized the US's leading position in the AI sector. "There is nobody in third place... it's all between us and China," he stated, expressing a desire to maintain this advantage and avoid merging efforts with potential competitors. He added that while AI was discussed with President Xi, he remains firm against any cooperative development efforts. "If we do that, we're going to be giving a lot of secrets that we have that they [China] would want to have, or anybody else," Trump said.
Prior to the meeting between Trump and Xi, China's foreign ministry had cautioned that narratives focusing on threats and confrontation could hinder AI governance.
Domestically, Trump has consistently downplayed safety concerns surrounding AI, labeling them a "hoax" and drawing comparisons to what he described as the "global warming scam" orchestrated by "radical left Dumocrats." This contrasts with recent public sentiment, as a September poll published by Politico indicated that two-thirds of Americans perceive at least a moderate risk of AI posing an existential threat, with 44% of Trump supporters expressing a preference for pausing AI development.