President Donald Trump said he wants to leave the current approach to AI unchanged, claiming China shares that position ahead of his September 24 meeting with President Xi Jinping.
In a social media post reported by Reuters, Trump wrote:
“I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!”
His reference to the Department of Justice points to relying on existing enforcement powers. The statement did not announce an agreement to freeze AI development.
Related: Trump Rejects AI Slowdown Calls, Citing Competition With China
Xi Emphasises Human Control
Xi later stressed the responsibility of both countries to develop AI safely, saying its development should remain under human control, according to Fortune.
Officials have also discussed a notification system for AI incidents affecting national security, proposed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Such a channel would allow the two countries to alert each other about serious problems.
That is a narrower proposal than a shared limit on developing more powerful AI.
Related: US and China Talk Trade and AI Ahead of Xi Visit, With Taiwan in Background
AI Leaders Want More Cooperation
The debate follows appeals to the UN Security Council from Anthropic’s Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Amodei called for safeguards against biological misuse, verification of commitments and an alert system. Altman backed rapid international incident reporting.
Related: Top AI Leaders Call for Slowing Down AI Development
Trump’s message signals continued resistance to broader restrictions. The practical question is whether Washington and Beijing can agree on specific safety measures while both keep pushing AI development forward.
