US, China Consider AI Dialogue Ahead of Summit

The United States and China held trade and artificial-intelligence discussions ahead of President Donald Trump’s planned Sept. 24 meeting with President Xi Jinping in Washington. The countries are considering a formal AI dialogue and a mechanism to notify each other about incidents that could threaten national security, although details about triggering incidents, responsible agencies and China’s response remain unclear. The proposed dialogue would not cover U.S. export controls on advanced AI chips and semiconductor equipment, highlighting limits to cooperation amid broader technological rivalry, mistrust and allegations involving AI-model distillation. The talks also addressed trade, including efforts to operationalize tariff discussions on nonsensitive goods, while officials and experts remain concerned that AI could enable destabilizing disinformation, rogue behavior, military miscalculations or threats to nuclear systems and critical infrastructure.