According to Lee, parallel to the AI race is “a separate, potentially more important race” to figure out how “who can control powerful AI without stifling innovation.”
China may be slightly ahead of America in that race.
The SCMP report claims that while the US has been hesitant to regulate AI, “China’s regulatory process has been accelerating significantly” in recent months. In April, Beijing issued a new regulation requiring domestic AI firms to set up internal “artificial intelligence ethics review committees.” In May, the State Council, China’s cabinet, outlined a legislative action plan for 2026 to “accelerate comprehensive legislation to improve AI governance and sound development of AI.”
According to the report of The Information, discord exists not only between political parties in America but also among Trump’s team. The tension reportedly began after Sachs’s tenure as AI advisor abruptly ended, creating a “power vacuum” within the White House AI leadership structure. Still, Sachs continues to visit the White House weekly, The Information reports.
As Trump reportedly faces pressure from the Commerce Department and the Office of Science and Technology Policy to maintain a light-touch approach to AI regulation, more security-focused agencies, like the Office of the National Cyber Director, think now is the time to rule out AI.
Trump’s next steps on AI safety in the US will not only be closely watched by officials in his administration concerned about national security risks — including apparently Vice President J.D. Vance, who said Wednesday that the administration was prioritizing “protecting people’s data” and “people’s privacy” after concerns were raised about Mythos. Obviously, China would also be expecting regular AI security updates from Trump.
In a recent summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump agreed to “launch an inter-governmental dialogue on AI” to mutually navigate emerging national security risks with the development of AI technology, the Chinese Foreign Ministry confirmed.
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