Trump and Xi set to meet in Washington as AI safety concerns take center stage

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to meet in Washington today, with artificial intelligence emerging as a key topic alongside Iran, tariffs, and Taiwan.

The meeting comes as warnings about AI’s risks to society have grown louder, and as experts say the U.S. and China remain the two dominant forces shaping the technology’s future.

“When it comes to who is setting the conversation in terms of AI capabilities, it’s two countries, the U.S. and China,” Aalok Mehta, director of the Wadhwani AI Center at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said.

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Mehta said the U.S. currently holds the advantage.

“I think it is an undisputed fact that the U.S. is in the lead when it comes to A.I. capabilities,” Mehta said.

Mehta said any slowdown by the U.S. would inherently benefit China unless both countries agree to pull back together. He said recent developments have rattled policymakers on both sides.

“All these recent developments have spooked policymakers in both countries,” Mehta said.

Despite deep distrust between Washington and Beijing, Mehta said there is interest in dealmaking. One possible outcome from this week’s talks could be the establishment of an AI safety hotline, similar to the nuclear hotline between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

“Perhaps one of the most concrete actions they could take is relating to cybersecurity and the ability of U.S. government officials to agree to oversee and monitor cyber incidents at U.S. companies and Chinese officials agree to do the same thing and there is some way information is communicated back and forth,” Mehta said.

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Although Trump has downplayed the AI threat, calling it a hoax, some of the world’s biggest AI leaders are invited to China’s state dinner on Thursday. Trump has already announced plans this week to create an AI Force in the U.S., modeled after the Space Force, and says he will be announcing an AI “Czar” soon.