Bessent proposes US-China AI safety notifications

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng concluded talks in New York on Sunday with the US side proposing a new AI safety notification mechanism for US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to consider at their summit this week.



Bessent told reporters that the two sides discussed setting up a new US-China AI dialogue, with a particular emphasis on national security concerns with a notification system for common goals and common threats that would cover AI-related incidents that rise to a national security level.



"We think that, just like with any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the number one and the number two AI powers in the world is very important," Bessent said at the conclusion of the talks.



Trump and Xi first discussed potential consultations on AI development in May in Beijing, but that forum was never formalized.