Australia's PM Calls for US-China AI Treaty as Middle Powers Assert Governance Role

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has urged the United States and China to strike a formal agreement on artificial intelligence governance, drawing parallels to the 1970 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, as he positions middle nations as key players in shaping global AI safety standards. Speaking during a visit to Apple headquarters in California on September 20, Albanese emphasized that both superpowers must cooperate "in the interests of humanity" rather than pursue an AI arms race, calling for international protocols to keep humans in control of increasingly powerful systems.