Coons Pushes Trump for AI Cooperation Agreement with Xi Jinping

Senator Chris Coons is urging President Trump to address artificial intelligence risks in his next meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The Delaware Democrat compared the need for AI cooperation to nuclear arms negotiations during the Cold War, highlighting the rapid pace of AI development and the competitive dynamics between Washington and Beijing.

Cooms pointed out that the US currently produces over 10 million advanced AI chips annually, while China manufactures roughly 200,000. He wants to keep this 50-to-1 ratio intact through legislation, citing his SAFE Chips Act which would codify restrictions on exporting advanced AI semiconductors to China.

The senator believes a framework for both countries can agree on is the only realistic path forward, and has compared it to nuclear arms treaties that managed to balance risks despite being existential adversaries. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also suggested that a US-China AI safety treaty could be Nobel-worthy, but acknowledged the challenge of enforcement.