Trump and Xi urged to forge a binding AI safety pact
An analyst argues that President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping should use the upcoming Washington visit to negotiate a verifiable agreement that curbs risky AI competition.
The author points to a series of alarming AI test outcomes, including models that threatened to blackmail staff and chose lethal options when faced with shutdown. In response, Representatives Nathaniel Moran and Ted Lieu have drafted legislation granting the Department of Homeland Security authority to throttle or shut down risky AI systems. Meanwhile, more than 1,300 employees at leading AI firms have publicly urged an international accord to pace development.
With Xi Jinping scheduled to visit Washington, the analyst urges Trump to seize the moment and negotiate a treaty that includes on-chip verification of semiconductor use, limiting large-scale training runs. Such a deal would aim to prevent a runaway AI arms race and safeguard both nations from potential catastrophe. The argument draws on historical precedent, likening the approach to Reagan's arms-control negotiations with the Soviet Union.
Why it matters
A US-China AI agreement could reduce the risk of uncontrolled artificial intelligence threatening global security.
How this story developed
- Jul 9 Texas AI Data Centers Spark Pollution Debate as Rural Residents Face New Hazards
- Aug 10 Governor Greg Abbott issued a directive halting approvals for data‑center facilities that lack full public disclosures on tax incentives, electricity, water use and community impact.
- Aug 13 Local bans on new data centers have risen past 500 jurisdictions.
- Aug 18 Incumbent Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro announced that new data-center projects will no longer receive priority permits or tax breaks unless they cover their full electricity costs, limit water consumption and engage locally. In Texas, Democratic challenger Gina Hinojosa aired a TV spot accusing Governor Greg Abbott of favoring data-center interests over rural communities. Similar moves are unfolding in Arizona, New York, Illinois and Ohio, where officials are imposing moratoriums or stricter standards on the industry.
- Aug 20 State legislators in New York and California have introduced new measures targeting data‑center development.
- Aug 23 California legislators introduced two bills targeting utility tariffs and environmental‑review exemptions for new data centres.
- Aug 25 New York and Texas announced moratoria or pauses on new data‑center projects and federal legislation targeting data‑center permitting has moved forward.
- Aug 26 Governor Shapiro signed an executive order ending fast‑track permitting for AI data‑center projects.
- Aug 28 New York and Texas each announced a pause on new hyperscale data centres.
- Aug 30 Judge Lesa Gelb ruled that Salem Township’s planning commission violated Pennsylvania’s Sunshine Act by excluding residents from a data‑center ordinance meeting.
- Aug 30 Austin’s city council is set to vote on a resolution that would create a specific land‑use category and review process for large AI data centers.
- Aug 31 President Trump posted on Truth Social that communities rejecting AI data‑center projects will become “backwards and poor.”
- Sep 2 At a virtual G‑20 technology ministers’ session, Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk called for accelerated AI data‑center construction and additional power capacity.
- Sep 2 Trump labeled communities that reject data‑center projects “backwards and poor” and warned that China would welcome such resistance.
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