US and China discuss AI safety plan ahead of Trump-Xi summit

Image caption, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met China's Vice Premier He Lifeng Top US and Chinese officials have discussed creating a new notification mechanism for AI incidents that could affect national security, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters on Sunday. Bessent made the comments after what he called successful talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. The meeting came as US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are due to hold a summit in Washington later this week. AI has come under intense scrutiny in recent days after researchers warned of the potential risks posed by the technology and some of the industry's most high profile figures called for developers to take a more cautious approach. 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 told reporters after the talks.