AI fears hit Trump-Xi agenda

AI fears hit Trump-Xi agenda, but challenges abound

Apocalyptic warnings about the danger of uncontrolled artificial intelligence are adding new urgency to talks between President Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping set for later this week.

© Brendan Smialowski/Pool Photo via AP, File

Trump has dismissed AI’s existential threats as a “hoax” — a view that analysts say aligns with China’s general perspective. Intense competition for primacy and mutual distrust have so far delayed any conversations between the U.S. and China about AI safeguards and regulations.

But recent warnings from the U.S. tech industry and calls to slow down innovation have put the need for American-Sino cooperation higher on the agenda between Trump and Xi when the two meet in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

Trump on Friday told reporters AI would be among many things being discussed next week. And Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Axios on Wednesday he’s open to talks about “shared risks” around AI in talks with Beijing.

There are also high-profile champions of AI caution in China — although for different reasons.

China’s top spy chief warned in an article published last week that AI could pose a direct threat to the Chinese Communist Party’s hold on power, an unusually blunt and public call to arms in a tightly controlled political and media environment.

“We’re at a point where both the United States and China appear to agree on some of the risks posed by AI, particularly around issues of cyber capabilities and loss of control,” said Alison Szalwinski, senior vice president at strategic and capital advisory firm The Asia Group.

“The challenge is that there’s some really significant disagreements on how to manage those risks, and whether AI governance can be separated from the broader strategic U.S.-China competition.”

Expectations are low for Trump and Xi to announce any breakthroughs on the top issues of the bilateral relationship : trade, Taiwan and technology transfers. Their hotly anticipated summit in Beijing in May was largely viewed as heavy on ceremony and light on substance.

The Hill’s Laura Kelly has more in a full report.

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Major cryptocurrency super PAC Fairshake plans to spend $30 million in Ohio opposing former Sen. Sherrod Brown’s (D) bid to return to the Senate, the group confirmed to The Hill.

Brown, who spent nearly two decades representing the Buckeye State before being ousted in 2024, is facing off against incumbent Sen. Jon Husted (R) in a tight midterm race that could be crucial to determining partisan control of the upper chamber.

The crypto industry spent heavily against Brown two years ago, pouring about $40 million into the race and helping to elect Sen. Bernie Moreno (R), a crypto enthusiast.

Brown, who previously chaired the Senate Banking Committee, had taken a more skeptical approach toward digital assets.

Fairshake still has a hefty finance account at its disposal with just six weeks left until the midterms. It reported $108 million on hand at the end of August. Check out a full report at TheHill.com .

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