U.S. Proposes AI Incident Mechanism to China

The United States has proposed that it and China create a mechanism to notify each other about artificial intelligence incidents with national security implications, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. The proposal comes ahead of an expected meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, but the reporting does not establish that China accepted it or that the countries agreed to set up a hotline. Bessent described the proposed notification mechanism after meeting He in New York. The idea is part of wider discussions about AI dialogue between the two governments. Its scope, including which incidents would trigger a notification, has not been specified in the supplied accounts. A separate report said the countries were exploring an emergency communication channel, sometimes described as an AI “red phone,” for direct contact if an AI-related crisis escalated. That account does not confirm an agreement or a finalized plan. The proposed channel and the broader notification mechanism are related ideas, but the available information does not show they are the same arrangement. U.S.