Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call to slow the development of advanced artificial intelligence models has triggered a new debate in the technology rivalry between the United States and China. At the center of the debate is the balance between reducing AI safety risks and preserving strategic superiority.
In an article he wrote this month, Amodei argued that rapid progress in AI could eventually outpace researchers’ ability to understand and control these systems as models reach a level at which they can contribute to developing their own successors. Calling for a slower pace of improvement in AI models’ capabilities, Amodei urged that the time gained be used carefully.
Independent oversight proposed for safety
The proposal includes appointing independent evaluators within leading AI companies, establishing coordination between companies and governments in democratic countries, and eventually negotiating international agreements to regulate the pace at which advanced AI systems are developed.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis and Elon Musk of SpaceXAI publicly supported some aspects of the proposal despite leading companies that compete intensely with one another.
Trump: The winner in AI will gain an advantage
US President Donald Trump opposed any deliberate effort by Washington to slow AI development. Trump said the United States was ahead of China in AI and that the side that won the competition would gain a decisive advantage.
Trump also questioned why industry executives would seek regulations that could restrict their own companies. In a post on Truth Social, he argued that rules enforced too aggressively could drive companies in the sector into bankruptcy. He described opposition to AI and data centers as a “sick conspiracy” and claimed that China would be the only side pleased by it.
Amodei’s proposal also acknowledges that slowing development in the United States could give Beijing a decisive technological advantage if equivalent restrictions were not imposed on China. Amodei says that a global agreement on the pace of development would require cooperation with China, but that such an agreement would need to rely on strong verification mechanisms to prevent either side from secretly violating the rules to gain a military advantage.
Beijing takes a cautious approach to safety proposals
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun opposed statements by US technology executives, particularly calls to maintain restrictions on exports to China of advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Guo said fear politics, conflict and destructive competition would obstruct efforts to develop global AI governance.
Guo said AI was an important technology for human well-being and that all sides should work together to develop it openly and inclusively for the benefit of humanity.
In a commentary published by China’s state-backed Global Times newspaper, Amodei’s proposal was described as an attempt by the United States to preserve its technological superiority. The commentary argued that excluding China from global AI governance while restricting it through technological barriers was a hypocritical and short-sighted approach.
China is narrowing the gap with the United States in AI
The United States is generally considered to retain its lead in advanced AI, while Chinese companies are closing the gap in some areas of technology. Chinese developers such as DeepSeek, Moonshot AI, Z. Ai and Alibaba have produced more competitive models despite US policies restricting their access to advanced chips.
Researchers in China believe US laboratories still lead in the most advanced AI capabilities. Zilan Qian, a researcher at the Oxford China Policy Lab, said AI progress in the United States was faster and more cutting-edge, meaning researchers at US laboratories could face more dangerous developments than their counterparts in China.
The Chinese government is also acknowledging AI risks more openly. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for measures to prevent a loss of control, while Chinese regulators have incorporated these concerns into the country’s AI safety framework. At the same time, Beijing views AI as a strategic technology for economic development and competition with the United States.
A broad agreement appears difficult in the short term
Kenton Thibaut, a China expert at the Atlantic Council, said major obstacles remained despite the United States and China sharing some concerns about AI safety. China suspects Washington could use safety talks to limit its technological rise, while US officials question whether agreements with Beijing could be reliably verified and enforced.
Thibaut assessed that a comprehensive agreement to slow development was unlikely in the short term. He said more realistic areas for cooperation could include measures to prevent AI-assisted biological weapons, common testing standards and mechanisms to prevent uncontrolled AI activity from being misinterpreted as an intentional state attack.
The debate is expected to gain importance ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington on September 24. AI governance is emerging as one of the issues that could arise as the two countries seek to reduce the risks of advanced AI without losing the technological advantage they consider critical to their economic and national security.
