Full Breakdown
US and China Face Calls for an AI Treaty Amid Heightened Safety Fears
By Drooid · · How we work
Push for a Bilateral AI Agreement
Senator Bernie Sanders publicly urged President Donald Trump to abandon his “hands-off” stance on artificial intelligence and negotiate a comprehensive treaty with President Xi Jinping. Sanders framed the proposal as a “deal of the century” intended to pause advanced AI development and ban superintelligence, citing the existential stakes for humanity. Trump, speaking at a press event, emphasized U.S. A meeting between Trump and Xi is scheduled for later this month, though analysts expect AI governance to rank low on the agenda.
Context of the AI Race and Safety Concerns
U.S. firms such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta and Google are accelerating AI capabilities while Chinese companies and research institutions are viewed as the primary competition. Anthropic’s alignment lead estimated a greater-than-10 % chance that AI could kill all humans within a decade. Industry leaders, including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, argue that a bilateral pact on shared standards and testing could mitigate the risk of a power imbalance if one side attains superintelligence first.
Official Statements & Responses
Sanders’ social-media post framed the treaty as a moral imperative, likening it to the 1987 nuclear arms agreement between Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev. Trump downplayed catastrophic scenarios, positioning AI competition as a zero-sum contest. Altman told Fortune that a simple, one-page agreement on development, testing and alignment oversight could be achievable and would merit a Nobel Peace Prize for both leaders.
Verbatim Quotes
- “ "With the future of humanity at stake," said Sanders, "Trump must negotiate a comprehensive treaty with President Xi of China to establish a pause on advanced AI development and a ban on superintelligence.” — Sen. Bernie Sanders
- “ "We're leading China in AI, we're the most sophisticated in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way," Trump said.” — Donald Trump, on US president
- “Fearmongering, confrontation, and vicious competition will only disrupt the process of global AI governance which serves no one’s interest,” — Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry
- “In the extreme case, the U.S. and China are both worrying that if one country gets superintelligence first, that’s a big imbalance of power in that relationship,” — Sam Altman, openai CEO