Trump-Xi Summit to Address AI Safety Amid Deep Distrust

A high-stakes summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week is set against a backdrop of urgent warnings from artificial intelligence researchers about the technology's potential risks, yet deep distrust between Washington and Beijing makes a significant agreement on safety guardrails unlikely. The meeting, scheduled for September 24, will address AI as a major topic, but expectations for a breakthrough are low as both nations continue a fierce race to dominate the technological frontier. The urgency has been amplified by recent statements from leading AI figures. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay calling for a deliberate slowdown in AI frontier development to ensure safeguards keep pace, a position endorsed by other top executives including OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk. This rare consensus among rivals has intensified pressure on the two governments to act. However, the diplomatic path is fraught with obstacles. President Trump has publicly dismissed warnings about AI dangers as a "hoax," stating on social media that the only needed guardrail is a "STRONG AND SMART High IQ! PRESIDENT.