U.S. and China gear up for mid-September AI safety talks

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks during a news conference, as finance ministers and central bank governors from Group of 20 countries meet in Asheville, North Carolina, on Tuesday. Beijing - The U.S. and China are gearing up to discuss AI safety risks during a dialogue planned for mid-September, two sources briefed on the discussions said, as rapidly advancing frontier AI capabilities reach a global tipping point. The talks, the first official bilateral discussions devoted exclusively to AI between the U.S. and China since U.S. President Donald Trump took office for a second time, will be led by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on the U.S. side, the sources, who were briefed on the planning, said on condition of anonymity. A White House official said "there is currently no planned AI-related meeting in mid-September." Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping are due to meet on Sept. 24 during a summit in Washington.