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Trump and Xi Face Daunting AI Questions as Washington Summit Begins

September 21, 2026 at 07:46 EDT

Foundation Models
Policy & Regulation
Infra & Chips

As President Donald Trump welcomes Chinese President Xi Jinping to Washington on September 24, artificial intelligence stands as one of the summit's most contentious yet underdeveloped issues, with deep disagreements on how the world's two AI superpowers should manage shared safety risks while competing fiercely for technological dominance.

September 2026 · Washington Summit

US Controls 75% of Top AI Supercomputers

As the world's two AI superpowers negotiate safety guardrails ahead of their summit, computing power remains starkly concentrated in American hands—a gap that shapes every negotiation.

United States

75%

of global top-500 supercomputers

China

15%

of global top-500 supercomputers

Three Unresolved Questions

Verification: How can inspectors verify compliance with AI safety agreements when most AI development happens inside company labs with proprietary code?
Competing Visions: The U.S. opposes AI regulation; China seeks to limit foreign AI influence on its population. Can they cooperate on safety while pursuing opposite regulatory strategies?
Export Controls: Will negotiations on AI safety include or exclude restrictions on selling advanced chips to China? The two sides are treating these as separate channels.

Prior Agreement

In November 2024, the U.S. and China agreed that decisions about nuclear weapons must remain under human control—not delegated to AI systems. A restatement of this principle is likely from the September 24 summit.

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