Trump vows to keep AI development unchecked, says China agrees

US President Donald Trump said Thursday (local time) that AI would be a central topic at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, as the two leaders met for US-China talks.

Trump also signaled his intent to press ahead with accelerating AI development, even as calls for a slowdown have grown louder in recent weeks.

Trump wrote on Truth Social that Thursday was "an important day with President Xi" and that "Super Intelligence" — his preferred term for AI — would be a key subject of discussion, Yonhap reported.

"However, I want to leave this subject as is," he added. "China feels the same way."

The remarks were widely interpreted as a declaration that he intends to continue pushing AI development at full speed, despite warnings from within the US AI industry that rapidly advancing technology could spiral beyond human control and pose an existential threat.

On the question of AI safeguards, Trump said the Department of Justice is "our safety net," making clear that the FBI and other Justice Department agencies would handle investigations and penalties if AI-related problems arise.

Trump had also criticized attempts to regulate AI in his address to the UN General Assembly on Tuesday (local time).

Speaking from the UN General Assembly podium in New York, Trump said the United States "completely rejects any attempt to devise an international scheme to control AI" and that he would not "stifle the growth of something bigger than the Industrial Revolution."

He added that all official US documents would henceforth replace the word "artificial" with "super" — "a far more accurate term" — and expressed hope that the rest of the world would follow suit.

Trump dismissed those who had previously warned about climate change and are now raising alarms about AI as spreading false claims. "Whoever wins in SI wins," he said. "We are ahead of everyone, including China, and we will keep that lead."

Trump has consistently brushed aside recent concerns that AI could enter an uncontrollable domain in the near future, while making clear he believes the United States must maintain its edge over China in the AI race.