Bessent: US proposes AI incident alert system in talks with China
The U.S. is proposing a new notification system with China for artificial intelligence incidents that could threaten national security
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced on Sunday that the United States has proposed a new notification system for artificial intelligence (AI) incidents that could potentially impact national security, during weekend talks ahead of upcoming discussions between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the White House this week.
Bessent emphasized, while speaking to reporters after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York, the importance of a shared vision for common goals and threats, stating that increasing transparency in AI between the world's top two AI powers is crucial. He further mentioned that the groundwork was laid for the talks between Xi and Trump, set to take place on Thursday, as they agreed to operationalize a new "Board of Trade" previously discussed in May when they met in Beijing.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamie L. Greer echoed these sentiments, stating that "nonsensitive" items for potential lower tariffs, which could include consumer and agricultural goods, energy products, and medical devices, were still under discussion. Chinese state media Xinhua reported that Bessent and the vice premier discussed "issues relating to AI" without specifying details, but also had "candid, in-depth and constructive" conversations on key economic and trade matters.
George Chen, a partner and chair of digital practice at The Asia Group consultancy, commented that the agreement to continue the dialogue, with the AI risk notification mechanism as the initial outcome, sets a precedent for other countries to follow.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News (US)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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