US, China set mid-September AI safety talks as their tech worlds drift apart
The United States and China are expected to hold their first round of bilateral talks dedicated solely to AI safety sometime in mid-September, according to a Reuters report from sources who have been informed about the preparations of the negotiating parties. This is happening the two countries technology sectors are growing apart. If the discussions move forward, they would open up a new official channel dedicated to AI between the two countries since Trumps second term started. The US delegation will most likely be headed by the Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, as reported by Reuters. But the whole deal appears to be tentative, as the White House representative said that there is no AI-focused meeting planned for mid-September at this moment, while the agenda and guest list are still uncertain. However, even if the meeting takes place, it is unlikely to lead to an agreement, as the US and Chinese are still locked in their ongoing rivalry over microchips, computational capabilities, frontier models, and technical standards. Washington wants AI labs to police themselves on cyber threats One of the US objectives is the cooperation in tracking AI-directed cyberattacks. The US has proposed requesting both American and Chinese laboratories to “police themselves” and share information
