The Pulse
Bessent: U.S. proposes AI incident alert system in talks with China
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the United States proposed a notification mechanism for artificial intelligence incidents that could affect national security during weekend discussions with Chinese officials.
AI.info Team ·
NEW YORK — Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that the United States has proposed a new notification mechanism for artificial intelligence incidents that could affect national security, part of weekend discussions ahead of talks between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Bessent made the remarks after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. The discussions came before Trump and Xi are expected to meet at the White House on Thursday.
“We want a shared vision of common goals and common threats,” Bessent, the U.S. Treasury secretary, told reporters. “We think that just like any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very important.”
The proposal would create a channel for the two countries to communicate about AI incidents that could carry national-security consequences. Bessent did not publicly describe the system’s operating rules, reporting thresholds or enforcement structure.
The AI discussion is taking place as Washington and Beijing compete over advanced technology and disagree over the pace of AI development. Trump has resisted calls to slow down AI development, saying that doing so would help China catch up to U.S. companies.
Standing together in the lobby of JPMorgan Chase headquarters late Sunday, Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the weekend meetings laid the groundwork for the Trump-Xi talks. They also said the two sides had agreed to operationalize a new “Board of Trade” that the leaders discussed when they met in Beijing in May.
“Today those notions have become reality,” Greer said.
Greer said the countries were still discussing which “nonsensitive” items could qualify for lower tariffs. The list could potentially include consumer and agricultural goods, energy products and medical devices.
China’s account is less specific
Chinese state media Xinhua said Bessent and He discussed issues “relating to AI” without providing specifics. Xinhua also described their broader economic and trade discussions as “candid, in-depth and constructive.”
The Chinese account did not mention the proposed notification mechanism. The differing descriptions leave the scope of any possible arrangement unclear, including whether the two governments share an understanding of how the system would work.
George Chen, a partner and chair of digital practice at The Asia Group consultancy, said the continuation of the dialogue was significant.
“The fact that both sides agreed to continue the dialogue is significant,” Chen said in written comments. “The initial outcome — an AI risk notification mechanism — sets a precedent that other countries may follow.”
The proposal remains an idea discussed by U.S. and Chinese officials rather than an announced operating system. Its next steps could depend on whether the two governments continue the AI dialogue during or after the Trump-Xi meeting.
Chan Ho-him in Hong Kong and Huizhong Wu in Bangkok contributed to this report.