By Ivana Saric
Digital Editor, Council on Foreign Relations |
Debate over artificial intelligence (AI) regulations intensified in recent weeks as tech leaders warned that Washington needed to act. Today, all eyes are on the bilateral meeting in Washington between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose countries are the frontrunners in the AI race. The likely outcome? An “agreement to keep talking,” CFR’s Connor Martin told the Daily Brief.
To be clear, that is “not nothing,” Martin explained, because “it establishes the floor for any eventual U.S.-China détente on this world-altering technology. But it leaves the fundamental dynamics of the AI race unchanged.”
There is mutual interest in maintaining regular contact on AI. Last weekend, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with his Chinese counterpart to discuss establishing a bilateral dialogue on AI, including the possible creation of a U.S.-China hotline in case of an emergency. But effectiveness hinges on action, especially in a crisis. “The United States and China already have hotlines, and in past emergencies China has not always answered the phone,” Martin said.
Even as competition with China remains a priority, some U.S. AI executives have called for more regulation.
CFR’s Rush Doshi wrote in an expert take this week that the easiest path would be for China and the United States to agree to a set of parallel safeguards. But “Beijing will not move if it judges the American deregulatory turn to be permanent, and a president who last week called AI risk a ‘hoax’ is not sending a costly signal,” he wrote.
Yet, as CFR’s Vinh Nguyen told the Daily Brief, the United States has an interest in such safeguards since “China will likely benefit more from the status quo.” China is currently rapidly closing the AI capabilities gap. If the United States establishes itself as a leader in setting safety and security standards, China will have to find a way to “have a voice” in standard-setting and compliance—while still racing to compete globally, Nguyen said.
But both Trump and Xi appear reluctant to slow the AI frontier for now, and companies from both countries announced new developments this week ahead of the bilateral summit. Google confirmed that it would launch a satellite equipped with AI processing units into space next week, while China’s Alibaba unveiled what it said was its most powerful AI chip to date.
For now, Martin said the U.S. approach appears to be: “beat China, then figure it out.”
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World leaders and thinkers are speaking at CFR during the UN General Assembly week. Senior Editor Diana Roy is on hand to bring their insights to the Daily Brief. -
Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley Addresses Global Climate Inequality, UN Reform: “The growing [climate-change-driven] inequality that the world is seeing keeps those who are most vulnerable on the frontline,” said Mottley. The biggest challenge remains “the absence of access [to] credible financing,” particularly for vulnerable countries like Barbados, she explained. Mottley also said that while there is “absolutely” a need for UN reform, the organization “is essential for small states to be able to survive,” noting that “those who have much larger capacity very often seek to bully those who can least protect themselves.”
Watch the full conversation with Prime Minister Mia Mottley. -
Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Romanian Foreign Minister Oana-Silvia Țoiu Talk Russia, Transatlantic Ties: Amid increasing concerns over Russian drone incursions along NATO’s eastern border, Țoiu said Russian President Vladimir Putin had “no chance of winning” if he were to attack NATO. She maintained that Article 5—the mutual defense clause—would hold in that situation. Sikorski agreed, adding that Putin would “try to drive a wedge between allies, particularly Europeans and Americans.” Both Sikorski and Țoiu emphasized the importance of Europe’s long-standing relationship with the United States. Sikorski described it as “a great economic relationship.” Țoiu reiterated that the transatlantic partnership “remains strong,” particularly when it comes to defense cooperation. Still, the relationship “is significantly transforming,” she said. The United States and Europe have the same strategy regarding “diversifying trade agreements,” for example, but “very different tactics” on how to achieve that, Țoiu added.
Watch the full conversation with Foreign Minister Sikorski and Foreign Minister Țoiu. |
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Despite recent efforts to crack down on foreign cyber threats, the United States’ critical infrastructure “has never been at greater risk,” CFR’s Adam Segal wrote in a new expert take. Over the past decade, China has built a cyber apparatus to rival that of the United States—but Washington didn’t develop a clear strategy to combat it.
CFR convened a yearlong study to understand China’s evolving cyber capabilities and what it would take to ensure U.S. infrastructure remains “defensible and resilient.” Segal outlined recommendations in his article:
“The emergence of sophisticated large language models (LLMs) has injected new urgency into U.S.-China competition. Models such as Anthropic’s Claude Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT 5.5 contain advanced coding and cybersecurity capabilities and reduce the time, labor, resources, and expertise such activities previously required. China is developing LLMs that will match the capabilities of the top U.S. models. As the gap narrows and artificial intelligence (AI) makes offensive cyberattacks quicker, the advantage will go to the country that can more rapidly apply these capabilities to defense.”
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Every day, the Daily Brief brings you a curated list of the top stories from around the world. |
- African Leaders Push for a Permanent Security Council Seat. The continent currently holds three of the rotating seats, but lacks a permanent one with veto power.
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AP: Fighting in Ethiopia ‘Effectively Shatters’ 2022 Peace Deal. The renewed hostilities between government forces and Tigrayan rebels have ended a yearslong period of relative peace, the news agency reported.
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Venezuela’s Interim President Pledges Elections, Without Timeline. Delcy Rodríguez, who was appointed the country’s acting leader after the U.S. ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro, told the UN General Assembly yesterday that elections would come at the “right moment.”
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United States to Grant $7 Billion in Loans for Argentina Mining. The State Department said yesterday that it would help finance mining and energy projects in the country through 2027 to deepen economic cooperation. The move offers support to Argentinian President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, and is a step toward reducing U.S. energy dependence on China.
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India’s ‘Cockroach’ Movement Demands Resignation of Election Commissioner. Leaders of the youth protest movement said they will launch nationwide protests if the country’s election chief does not resign within two days. A recent report in the Indian Express said deputies had raised concerns about voter roll changes.
- Australia Accuses OpenAI of Infiltrating Government Site. The country’s prime minister said the company’s AI agents had hacked a public health-care website this summer and accessed private information.
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- Ukraine Sent Two Captured North Korean Soldiers to South Korea, Zelenskyy Says. During a speech at the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticized Pyongyang’s involvement in the Russia-Ukraine war.
- Polish Minister Claims Starlink Fire Was Sabotage. A fire at a Starlink station near Warsaw was an “act of sabotage” intended to disrupt internet services, including for the Ukrainian military, Deputy Prime Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski said today. The incident is being investigated.
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Abbas Vows Palestinian Parliamentary Elections as Netanyahu Denies Genocide Accusations. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas vowed to the UN General Assembly today to hold the first Palestinian parliamentary elections in twenty years this November. Abbas gave his speech by pre-recorded video; the United States had denied him a visa. Hours later, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the body in New York that allegations Israel was committing genocide in Gaza were the “biggest lie of the century.”
- New U.S. Sanctions Limit Iranian Flights. New U.S. secondary sanctions on companies that provide refueling, landing, or other services entered into effect yesterday. Multiple countries canceled flights from Iran as a result.
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Host: Ivana Saric
Editor: Xian Chiang Waren
Email Operations: Eric Rojas
Editorial Director, News: Phil McCausland
Editor-at-Large: Robert McMahon
Chief Digital Content Officer: Millie Tran |
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