US-China AI Hotline Faces Bureaucratic Delays
AI-generated image · US National Wire
Trump administration officials target a framework for a national security notification system, but disagreements over benchmarks and enforcement persist.
As US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping prepare for a state dinner in Washington, a primary agenda item is a US proposal to create an AI notification system. According to Wired, the system is intended to function like the Cold War hotline with Moscow, allowing both nations to alert one another regarding AI-related national security issues.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent first announced the proposal on Sunday alongside Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. However, Wired reports that Trump administration officials expect it will take several weeks to finalize an agreement, with a goal of having a functional framework by the time Bessent and Lifeng meet in Shenzhen, China, in two months.
Significant hurdles remain. Wired notes that China has been noncommittal regarding an explicit sign-on, and officials have yet to establish benchmarks for what constitutes a national security incident. Furthermore, sources told Wired that creating enforcement measures with "teeth" may be delayed due to President Trump's reluctance to halt exports of cutting-edge Nvidia chips to China, such as the H200 chip, for which the administration has granted limited licenses this year.
Additional delays may stem from the appointment of a new "AI czar" to lead a proposed "AI Force" for interagency coordination. Wired reports that the pool of potential candidates includes Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and White House AI officials Sean Cairncross and Michael Kratsios. Former AI czar David Sacks is not expected to return.