US, China should learn from Cold War-era arms control to tackle AI risks: ex-US official

Washington and Beijing should put aside their mutual distrust to address the risks posed by artificial intelligence, much as the United States and Soviet Union cooperated on nuclear arms control during the Cold War, a former US Treasury secretary has urged.

Robert Rubin, who served as US Treasury secretary under former president Bill Clinton from 1995 to 1999, cited the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT) between Washington and Moscow decades ago as an example of two superpowers working together despite massive differences.

“Unfortunately, the United States and China have this distrust and mutual antagonism,” Rubin said via video at the Bund Summit in Shanghai on Monday.

“Just as happened with SALT and nuclear matters, we should put aside the distrust, put aside the antagonisms and work together on an issue that can so massively and powerfully and adversely, severely affect both our countries.”