U.S. President Donald Trump said on the 24th that artificial intelligence will be a major agenda item at his summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, while signaling opposition to new safeguards or regulations on AI development.
In a morning post on the social media platform Truth Social, Trump called it an important day with Xi and said "Super Intelligence" — the term he uses in place of AI — would be a major topic of discussion.
He added that he wants to leave it exactly as it is now, and that China's position is the same. On AI safety, he said the Department of Justice serves as the safeguard.
Trump's remarks are read as signaling that even if AI features prominently at the U.S.-China summit, he will not move to establish new regulations or safeguards. Calls have grown recently to tighten safety standards over the risks posed by AI's rapid advance, but Trump has consistently opposed rules that would restrict its development.
In his address to the United Nations General Assembly on the 22nd, Trump also said he would refer to AI as "Super Intelligence" and objected to building an international regulatory framework to control its development.
U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a White House briefing on the 15th that the Justice Department is not an AI regulator, but that it would investigate any violations of criminal law involving the technology.
In a separate post, Trump noted that he had personally greeted Xi upon the Chinese leader's arrival in the United States the previous day, writing that Xi looked strong, vibrant and healthy, and better than ever. Of Xi's wife, Peng Liyuan, he added that she was, of course, beautiful.
