China calls Anthropic CEO’s AI slowdown proposal ‘cold war playbook’

China’s state-run Global Times has criticized Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for proposing a framework to slow down the development of frontier AI technologies, labeling it a "Cold War playbook" aimed at hindering China's AI industry. Amodei's essay, published on Saturday, suggested that US policymakers should tighten chip export controls on China and address alleged AI model distillation by Chinese labs.

The proposal also called for strengthening AI safety regulations to allow more time to address emerging safety risks. Amodei and other tech leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk, have endorsed the proposal. However, the Global Times argued that Amodei's plan was designed to restrict China's technological advancement through regulatory barriers and monopolies, and to exclude China from the global AI governance system.

The editorial described the proposal as a "silent AI Cold War" that would increase costs and risks of global AI development by excluding China. The dispute comes amid growing concerns among US lawmakers about the potential existential threats posed by rapid AI advancements. Despite these calls for regulation, US President Donald Trump dismissed them, emphasizing the US's current lead in AI capabilities and warning against "very negative forces" raising exaggerated concerns.

The US and China are scheduled to discuss frontier AI safety risks in mid-September, and the issue may feature in a planned September 24 summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.