Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping will meet in Washington this week to address a variety of thorny issues, ranging from trade to Taiwan. Despite these tensions, both sides agree that neither nation can afford to tap the brakes on the development of artificial intelligence.
AI safety and the establishment of guardrails are expected to be key focuses for the two leaders as safety fears have reached new heights in recent weeks. While Silicon Valley contemplates the risk of AI wiping out humanity, Washington and Beijing appear more concerned with securing global technological supremacy and ensuring AI remains under human control.
Industry leaders have called for coordination between the global powers, but a lack of trust and internal divisions make a comprehensive agreement unlikely. As a result, the U.S. and Chinese presidents are expected to agree to only limited cooperation on AI safety during the summit.