Trump rules out US-China AI joint venture, citing security concerns

President Donald Trump shut the door on any joint AI development with China at a summit on September 26, declaring that the US technological advantage is simply too large to risk diluting. “I would rather not integrate because we’re leading by a lot,” Trump said. He estimated the US holds at least a one-year lead in AI capabilities over China, with some assessments putting the gap closer to two years. What actually came out of the summit The meeting wasn’t a total shutout. The two countries agreed to establish a “U.S.-China Super Intelligence (SI) Dialogue” before November 2026, a forum designed to discuss the risks and benefits of advanced AI systems. They also set up a bilateral communication channel specifically for handling AI and superintelligence-related incidents. Trump reportedly pushed to use the term “super intelligence” in official contexts. What the summit did not produce is arguably more telling than what it did. There were no agreements on cooperative AI development. No joint regulatory frameworks. No pathways toward technology sharing of any kind. The communication channel is narrow by design, limited to incident response rather than strategic coordination. “When you...