The upcoming visit of Chinese President, Xi Jinping, to Washington will bring together some of the leading figures of the American tech industry at the White House, at a time when the United States and China are trying to open a dialogue about the risks and possible limits to the development of artificial intelligence.
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Among the guests at the state dinner are the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman; the head of Nvidia, Jensen Huang; the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos; the head of Tesla and SpaceX, Elon Musk; the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook; and the top executive of Google, Sundar Pichai.
A U.S. official described the event as “a highly coveted event, with very contested spots.” The presence of the executives comes amid a debate that pits concern over the risks associated with AI against the race between Washington and Beijing to maintain or achieve technological leadership.
The United States and China agreed in May to open an intergovernmental channel on artificial intelligence, although talks have progressed slowly. The next dialogue between the two countries would still be preliminary and would mainly focus on setting an agenda before addressing substantive issues.
The discussion takes place as various actors in the U.S. tech sector have called for taking the risks posed by AI more seriously. The administration of Donald Trump, however, has rejected the idea of significantly slowing its development for fear that a slowdown would allow China to gain an advantage.
Huang himself has expressed opposition to slowing the progress of this technology. “We have to move as fast as possible, without worrying about what others are doing,” said the head of Nvidia.
Calls for safeguards have also emerged from China. Senior Defense officials have raised the need to seek firewalls for AI, although Chinese authorities and official media have questioned some of the warnings issued from the United States, considering them part of a strategy to contain Beijing’s advance.
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Xi will make an official visit to the United States that includes a welcome ceremony at the White House, a military review, and a private meeting with Trump. His wife, Peng Liyuan, is also expected to participate, while First Lady Melania Trump will accompany the U.S. president.
Before the meeting between the two presidents, Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng will meet in New York with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to prepare the economic and technological agenda for the visit.
Bessent has stated that Washington is willing to talk with Beijing about ways to address common risks of artificial intelligence and avoid a possible split between the technological systems of both countries.
The technological dispute is joined by the trade negotiation between the two powers. The tariff truce reached between Washington and Beijing expires on November 10, so its possible extension appears among the issues that could be part of the talks.
The current agreement includes a U.S. reduction of tariffs related to fentanyl, the temporary suspension of an additional Chinese levy on U.S. products, the partial resumption of agricultural trade, and a relaxation of Chinese controls on the export of rare earths.
These minerals constitute another relevant point in the bilateral relationship due to their use in industries such as defense, automotive, clean energy, and chip manufacturing.
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