Trump rejects AI partnership with China

US President Donald Trump has rejected the idea of closer US-China cooperation on artificial intelligence risks. According to South China Morning Post, Trump asserted that the US should focus on protecting its lead in technology rather than sharing expertise with Beijing.“Whoever wins superintelligence wins. You’re gonna have a winner and a loser, and you’re probably not gonna have a second place,” Trump said on Tuesday.Trump made the comments during a White House event focused on AI, where he also announced a voluntary agreement with six major US technology companies aimed at improving safety measures around advanced AI systems.Trump says US does not want to share AI secretsTrump said the US is currently ahead of China in AI and argued that working jointly with Beijing could put that advantage at risk. “We’re leading now over China and everyone else, and I want to keep it that way The only way you can keep it that way is to do exactly what we’re doing right now,” he said.His comments come as there are growing calls for Washington and Beijing to work together on AI risks. Concerns have increased following incidents involving US companies OpenAI and Anthropic, with experts warning that advanced AI systems could potentially be misused for cyberattacks or the development of bioweapons. Trump said he did not want a “joint venture” with China that could result in the US sharing its “secrets”. He instead backed self-policing by AI companies, while pointing to existing US institutions such as the Department of Justice and FBI as additional safeguards.Six tech companies sign voluntary AI safety accordThe White House Accord on Super Intelligence was signed by Google, Nvidia, Anthropic, OpenAI, Meta Platforms and SpaceXAI. Trump published a two-page document outlining the agreement on Truth Social and described it as "morally binding."The voluntary accord calls for companies to introduce several layers of controls and audits. Among other measures, they are expected to have internal systems designed to prevent their AI models from carrying out “unintended” hacking.The companies are also expected to work with outside auditors to assess whether those controls are functioning properly. They will meet regularly to discuss safety practices, although the document does not specify how often these meetings will take place.The agreement comes shortly after Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed to establish an AI incident notification hotline and continue discussions on AI risks. The next round of talks is reportedly scheduled for November in Shenzhen, although details of the discussions have not yet been announced.Trump also signed an executive order directing US federal agencies to use the term “superintelligence”, or SI, instead of AI in official communications. He said the new term better describes the potential and rapidly advancing capabilities of the technology.The White House AI push comes as public concerns over the technology's infrastructure are also growing. A New York Times-Siena University poll published earlier this month found that 61 per cent of likely voters opposed the construction of data centres to support AI.- Ends