Top House Democrat asks if Chinese AI firms will slow down
| Source: The Verge | Original article
A leading House Democrat is pressing for a US‑China AI treaty and answers on whether Chinese AI firms will slow down as President Trump prepares to meet tech CEOs in Washington.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D‑CA) has sent a series of letters to senior officials in Washington and Beijing urging the United States and China to negotiate a bilateral treaty that would curb the rapid deployment of advanced artificial‑intelligence systems. The move comes as President Donald Trump prepares to host a gathering of tech and AI CEOs in the capital, a meeting that Khanna says should be paired with concrete safeguards against “AI‑driven havoc.”
Khanna’s correspondence, obtained exclusively for this outlet, asks Chinese authorities to provide clarity on the pace of development at their leading AI firms and to consider voluntary limits that would align with emerging U.S. safety standards. He frames the request as a pre‑emptive step to avoid an unchecked arms race in generative models and autonomous agents, echoing concerns raised in recent congressional hearings about the societal and security implications of unchecked AI growth.
The proposal matters because it signals a shift from ad‑hoc regulatory talk to a potential formalized framework between the world’s two largest AI producers. A treaty could shape export controls, data‑sharing rules, and research collaborations, influencing everything from corporate investment strategies to national security assessments. It also dovetails with broader U.S. efforts to embed safety mechanisms—such as watchdog chips and reference designs for secure AI agents—into the technology pipeline.
What to watch next: whether the State Department or the White House will engage with Khanna’s outreach, how Chinese ministries respond, and if any concrete agenda emerges from the upcoming CEO summit. A formal diplomatic track could set the tone for future legislative action on AI risk mitigation.
Sources
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