After meeting Xi Jinping, Donald Trump rejected calls for the United States and China to slow or combine their artificial intelligence work. He argued that the United States should protect its claimed lead, while the summit ended without an agreement to pause the two countries’ AI race. The refusal comes after industry leaders and the UN secretary-general called for safeguards. Trump offered no joint timetable for a slowdown.
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping ended their Washington summit without an agreement to slow the United States and China’s artificial intelligence work. Both governments continue developing the technology, and neither leader announced a shared limit on the pace of that work. The absence of a pause followed public appeals from industry executives and researchers for international safety safeguards.[1], [2]
After the meeting, Trump said the countries would not combine their AI efforts and told reporters he would not put the brakes on development. He argued that the United States should protect what he considers its lead over China. He also said the three-day summit spent little time on the subject. A White House statement described a narrower communication channel for AI incidents, but set no common pace for research or deployment.[1]
The Guardian reported that the visit emphasized the presidents’ rapport but had no substantial agreement to slow their AI race. Trump had repeatedly argued that the United States must forge ahead to maintain its lead. The summit ended without even a symbolic gesture to pause the two countries’ development efforts. Public discussion therefore left the central competition intact despite calls to address potential harms from more capable systems.[2]
