As Xi’s US visit approaches, basic details of planned AI talks remain uncertain
Questions remain over which US agencies will take the lead, whether private firms will join and what will be on the agenda
Quick Look
With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s US visit weeks away, Washington and Beijing have yet to finalize the scope, participants, or lead agencies for planned artificial intelligence talks, leaving the dialogue's structure and industry involvement uncertain.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the United States in the coming weeks. The two nations are attempting to organize a dialogue regarding artificial intelligence policy.
With Chinese President Xi Jinping’s planned visit to the United States just weeks away, Washington and Beijing are still struggling to arrange a hoped-for dialogue on artificial intelligence, with the venue, participants and scope of the talks yet to be settled.
Two sources familiar with the discussions said Washington had yet to decide which part of the US government should take the lead. The two sides had also not agreed on whether technical experts and private-sector representatives should be included, among other questions.
While Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has led discussions around the broader US-China economic relationship, one person familiar with the matter added that AI policy cut across the White House, intelligence agencies, the Office of Science and Technology Policy, and the departments of state, commerce and defence.
A substantive dialogue would also require experts from AI laboratories, rather than simply senior diplomats, to take part, the person said.
It remains unclear whether companies in the AI industry – such as OpenAI, Anthropic, Google DeepMind and Nvidia on the US side, or China’s DeepSeek, Alibaba and Baidu – will formally attend or only play a role on the margins.
Open Questions
- Which US government agency will lead the AI talks?
- Will private sector representatives be included in the dialogue?
