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Credibility Rating

4/5
High(4)

High quality. Established institution or organization with editorial oversight and accountability.

Rating inherited from publication venue: Brookings Institution

Published January 2024 by Brookings, this is a policy-oriented commentary relevant to international AI governance coordination, particularly the US-China relationship as a critical axis for managing global AI risks.

Metadata

Importance: 52/100policy briefanalysis

Summary

This Brookings Institution article proposes a strategic framework for the US-China bilateral AI consultation channel established at the November 2023 Biden-Xi summit. The authors argue that success requires focused agreement on concrete, tractable objectives rather than broad grievance-airing, given the two countries' differing AI governance philosophies. Key recommended areas include nuclear weapons human control, AI incident information sharing, and avoiding AI in autonomous lethal systems.

Key Points

  • The Biden-Xi November 2023 summit established a new bilateral AI consultation channel, but its success depends on scoping focused, achievable objectives.
  • US and China share some AI risk concerns but have fundamentally different governance philosophies, making selective cooperation on specific issues essential.
  • Authors recommend prioritizing human control over nuclear weapons decisions as a tractable early cooperation target.
  • Information sharing on AI incidents and near-misses is identified as a concrete, lower-controversy area for bilateral progress.
  • Without clear goals, the dialogue risks becoming a ritual forum rather than producing meaningful AI safety or governance outcomes.

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A roadmap for a US-China AI dialogue | Brookings 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 Commentary
 

 A roadmap for a US-China AI dialogue

 
 
 
 
 Graham Webster and 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 GW 
 
 
 
 
 
 Graham Webster 
 
 
 Research Scholar 
 - Stanford University Program on Geopolitics, Technology, and Governance, 
 
 
 Editor-in-Chief 
 - DigiChina 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ryan Hass 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Ryan Hass 
 
 
 
 Director 
 - John L. Thornton China Center , 
 
 
 Senior Fellow 
 - Foreign Policy , Center for Asia Policy Studies , John L. Thornton China Center , 
 
 
 Chen-Fu and Cecilia Yen Koo Chair in Taiwan Studies 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 January 10, 2024

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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 When President Joe Biden and General Secretary Xi Jinping met in California in November 2023, their governments announced a new bilateral channel for consultation on artificial intelligence (AI). If both governments

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Resource ID: 25ca111eea083021 | Stable ID: MmUzZjQzYm