US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping wrapped up a significant summit in Washington without reaching a groundbreaking agreement on artificial intelligence (AI), despite mounting international concerns over the rapid evolution of the technology. Over their three-day meeting, the leaders discussed a range of issues including conflicts in Iran and Ukraine, the status of Taiwan, and trade relations.
The most notable policy outcome from the summit was an extension of the existing trade truce between the two nations, prolonging it for an additional two months. AI was another prominent topic during their discussions. President Xi emphasized the shared responsibility of the United States and China in developing and managing AI responsibly, ensuring that the technology remains under human oversight. He also called for increased collaboration between the two countries to address AI’s development and potential risks.
Despite these discussions, no framework or agreement was announced to slow the progress of advanced AI systems or to establish common safety standards. President Trump has consistently argued for the United States to retain its technological edge over China. During the summit, he introduced his preferred term “super intelligence” for advanced AI, although specific details of their talks on the subject were limited.
This summit marked the first visit by a Chinese president to the White House in over a decade. In addition to their official meetings, Trump and Xi visited the National Archives, where they viewed important US founding documents. As the summit concluded, the focus turned to future engagements, with the leaders expected to reconvene later this year at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in China and the G20 summit in the United States.