U.S. Proposes AI Incident Alert System in Talks with China

The United States has proposed a new notification system with China for artificial intelligence incidents that could pose a threat to national security, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. This proposal comes ahead of high-level talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

"We want a shared vision of common goals and common threats," Bessent stated Sunday in New York after discussions with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. "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."

While Trump has previously expressed reservations about slowing down AI development, arguing it could allow China to catch up to U.S. companies, the administration is now seeking greater transparency in the field.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer indicated that groundwork has been laid for the upcoming meeting between Xi and Trump, scheduled for Thursday. He also noted that the two sides have agreed to operationalize a new “Board of Trade,” a concept previously discussed by the leaders in May.

Chinese state media reported that Bessent and He Lifeng discussed AI-related issues without providing specific details, describing their talks on key economic and trade matters as "candid, in-depth and constructive."

Experts view the agreement to continue dialogue as significant. George Chen, a partner at The Asia Group consultancy, suggested that the initial outcome, an AI risk notification mechanism, could establish a precedent for other nations to follow.