U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent: U.S. Leads in AI, Enables 'Wholesome Discussions' with China
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U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent states the U.S. leads in AI, facilitating discussions with China on best practices to prevent non-state actors from accessing powerful models, amidst unveiling of a protocol and concerns over Anthropic's Mythos AI model.
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The U.S. Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, emphasized the U.S. lead in AI enables "wholesome discussions" with China on best practices, aiming to prevent non-state actors from accessing powerful AI models like Anthropic’s Mythos. This comes as President Trump and President Xi Jinping concluded their first major meeting in China, with Taiwan’s sovereignty being a key point of discussion. Bessent also anticipated a significant jump in upcoming large language models from Google and OpenAI. Meanwhile, Washington has restricted advanced semiconductor sales to China, with Nvidia’s CEO joining Trump’s delegation. The trip marked the first U.S. presidential visit to China since 2017.
Bessent met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in South Korea ahead of the summit, discussing trade and economic cooperation. He also engaged with leaders in Tokyo and Seoul on critical minerals and investments. The Treasury Secretary’s comments on CNBC highlighted the strategic importance of AI leadership in facilitating dialogue with China. However, underlying tensions, particularly over Taiwan, which China claims as its territory, were underscored by Xi Jinping’s emphasis on the issue’s priority in bilateral relations.
The U.S. has sought to limit China’s AI advancement through semiconductor restrictions, sparking scrutiny over approved sales of Nvidia’s H200 AI chips to Chinese tech firms. Bessent acknowledged negotiations on this matter. The summit’s outcome and its implications for global tech policy, trade, and geopolitical balance are eagerly awaited.
