US, China Must Balance AI Cooperation and Rivalry, Says Bessent
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent stated that the United States and China should recognize their differences regarding artificial intelligence as they seek cooperation to reduce the technology's risks while vying for AI dominance.
Bessent, set to visit China next week for US President Donald Trump's third encounter this year with Chinese President Xi Jinping, expressed in statements prepared for the National Committee on US-China Relations in New York his desire to "develop a positive relationship based on balance and reciprocity."
The gathering in Shenzhen, scheduled for November 18-19 alongside the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ summit, will promote a new bilateral conversation on "superintelligence," or SI, as described by Bessent, utilizing the terminology favored by the Trump administration for the technology.
The conversation aims to mitigate shared risks and "avoid any confusion between our two systems," remarked Bessent.
"We anticipate sharing best practices for assessing and testing advanced models prior to their launch, while ensuring that human judgment remains integral to this technology," he remarked, noting that both parties had agreed to create a direct communication channel for notifying each other about critical incidents.
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During their earlier meeting at the White House in September, Trump and Xi reached an agreement on the new AI alert system; however, Trump also expressed hesitance about implementing new guardrails, emphasizing his desire to maintain US leadership.
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"As SI progresses, the necessity to explore new aspects of risk management will increase — along with the need to show how two countries can balance competitive demands with leadership responsibilities," Bessent stated.
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"While doing this, we must recognize the distinctions that exist between the United States and China." As I mentioned before, our interests will sometimes differ. "Our method for tackling each challenge, similarly, will not consistently align," he stated.