Xi Jinping Meets with US Tech Execs to Discuss AI Cooperation at Trump State Dinner

At a state dinner hosted by Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping met with top US tech executives to discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and its implications for global cooperation. The meeting was significant as it brought together key players in the AI industry, including Nvidia's Jensen Huang, SpaceX's Elon Musk, AMD's Lisa Su, Apple's Tim Cook, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, and Microsoft's Satya Nadella.

Jinping emphasized that competition between the US and China on AI does not preclude cooperation. He called for continued dialogue on AI risks and benefits, as well as joint efforts to prevent its misuse. Trump also expressed support for increased communication between the two governments on AI-related issues.

The meeting highlighted the growing importance of AI in global diplomacy, with both countries vying for influence in the field. China has made significant strides in recent years, developing open-weight AI models that allow users to download and modify weights powering each AI. This approach differs from the closed-weight solutions used by many US companies.

The meeting also underscored the rivalry between the two nations on AI cooperation, with Washington urging countries to choose its AI alliance over Beijing's rival coalition. The US is drafting letters to 35 countries that signed the US AI Opportunity Statement, warning them of the implications of joining both coalitions.