US President Donald Trump said artificial intelligence will feature in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday. Trump said he wanted to “leave it exactly where it is” regarding current technology approaches. He noted that China shares this view, adding that the US Department of Justice provides guardrails.
US President Donald Trump said artificial intelligence is expected to feature prominently in his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday, while indicating that neither side wants to alter the current approach to the technology.
Trump said in a social media post that he was set to have a “big day” with Xi and that “Super Intelligence (SI)” would be discussed during their talks. However, he added that he wanted to “leave it exactly where it is.”
According to Trump, China shares the same view on the matter. “That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!” he said, referring to the US Department of Justice.
Quick answers to key questions
•5 QUESTIONS
What role will AI play in the Trump-Xi Jinping talks?⌵
AI is expected to be a significant topic during the meeting between Trump and Xi, with Trump indicating a desire to maintain the current approach to the technology.
Why does Trump believe it's important for the US to lead in AI?⌵
Trump argues that maintaining a global lead in AI is crucial because he believes that whoever wins in AI technology will dominate the future.
How does Trump propose to manage the risks associated with AI?⌵
Trump has suggested that the US Department of Justice will oversee AI companies to ensure legal safeguards are in place, while he opposes strict regulatory measures that could impede development.
Should AI development in the US be slowed down due to safety concerns?⌵
Trump rejects calls for slowing AI development, viewing them as efforts that could undermine US technological dominance and asserts that the development should continue without significant restriction.
What did tech leaders warn at the UN regarding AI systems?⌵
Tech leaders warned that AI systems are becoming increasingly powerful and could pose significant risks to international security if not properly managed.
What did Trump say earlier?
Trump had said last week that the US already has safeguards to oversee AI companies and pursue legal action against them where necessary. His remarks appeared to downplay concerns raised by technology industry leaders over the potential misuse of AI and its possible impact on people.
Trump on 13 September satted “very negative forces” were fuelling concerns about artificial intelligence that he did not expect to become reality, while emphasising the importance of the US retaining its global lead in AI.
Trump said Washington was currently ahead of China in the AI race and argued that preserving this advantage was important. His comments came in response to reporters’ questions about whether the AI industry should be subject to stricter regulations or whether its development should be slowed.
This followed calls from leaders of some of the world’s largest artificial intelligence companies for the industry to reassess the pace at which its most advanced and commercially valuable models are being developed, amid rising concerns over the potential risks posed by the technology.
"We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins," Trump told reporters, according to Reuters.
“We could put guardrails. We can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of very negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up and they're bringing up things that won't happen,” he added.
Trump has broadly supported technology companies during his second term. Last week, he said critics of AI development were “playing right into the hands of a lot of people that don't want to see it happen, and that could be political people, that could also be China.”
Tech leaders set to attend White House dinner
Meanwhile, several prominent figures from the US technology industry were expected to join Trump’s state dinner at the White House on Thursday for Xi Jinping. The guest list was expected to include Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Alphabet’s Sundar Pichai, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Apple’s Tim Cook, Tesla’s Elon Musk and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang.