Bessent: US Proposes AI Alert System   09/21 06:13

   Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the U.S. has proposed a new 
"notification mechanism" for artificial intelligence incidents that could 
affect national security, part of weekend discussions ahead of talks at the 
White House this week between President Donald Trump and China's Xi Jinping.

   NEW YORK (AP) -- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday the U.S. has 
proposed a new "notification mechanism" for artificial intelligence incidents 
that could affect national security, part of weekend discussions ahead of talks 
at the White House this week between President Donald Trump and China's Xi 
Jinping.

   "We want a shared vision of common goals and common threats," Bessent told 
reporters after talks with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York. "We 
think that just like any cross-border activity, that moving from opaque to more 
transparency between the No. 1 and the No. 2 AI powers in the world is very 
important."

   Trump has resisted calls to slow down AI development, saying that would help 
China catch up to U.S. companies.

   Standing together in the soaring lobby of the JPMorgan Chase headquarters 
late Sunday, Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the 
groundwork had been laid for talks between Xi and Trump set to take place on 
Thursday. They said the two sides had agreed to operationalize a new "Board of 
Trade" that the two leaders had discussed when they met in Beijing in May.

   "Today those notions have become reality," Greer said.

   Greer said the countries were still discussing what "nonsensitive" items 
could be considered for lower tariffs, but that the list could potentially 
include consumer and agricultural goods, energy products and medical devices.

   Chinese state media Xinhua said Bessent and the vice premier talked about 
issues "relating to AI" without mentioning specifics and also had "candid, 
in-depth and constructive" discussions on key economic and trade issues.

   "The fact that both sides agreed to continue the dialogue is significant," 
said George Chen, a partner and chair of digital practice at The Asia Group 
consultancy, in written comments. "The initial outcome -- an AI risk 
notification mechanism -- sets a precedent that other countries may follow."