Trump and Xi Clash Over AI Governance at White House Meeting

Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump presented conflicting views on AI governance during their White House meeting on September 24. Xi emphasized the need for human control over artificial intelligence, stating that the US and China have the ability and responsibility to develop and manage AI in a way that benefits the public.

Trump rejected efforts to establish a global framework for AI governance, instead suggesting that the Justice Department should serve as the U.S.'s enforcement 'guardrail' on AI. He also dismissed warnings from industry and academic figures about the potential risks of AI, calling them a 'hoax'. Superintelligence, a term used by Trump to describe advanced AI capabilities, is expected to be a major subject of discussion in shaping peace and prosperity for decades.

The meeting comes just one day after OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei urged countries to cooperate on AI safety at the United Nations Security Council. They argued that countries with competing interests have previously worked together when facing powerful new technologies, a perspective that contrasts with Trump's view.