# Beijing shrugs at the AI slowdown talk

> Western AI bosses want a pause. China's Foreign Ministry called the whole conversation fear-mongering and moved on.
- Title: Beijing shrugs at the AI slowdown talk · Futurism | Shortify
- Summary: Western AI bosses want a pause. China's Foreign Ministry called the whole conversation fear-mongering and moved on. Beijing isn't racing toward AGI on…
- Keywords: ai policy, china, agi, tech billionaires, governance, science, technology, Beijing, shrugs, slowdown, talk, Futurism
- Source: Futurism — https://futurism.com/future-society/china-beijing-dismisses-tech-billionaires-ai-slowdown-fearmongering
- Author: Joe Wilkins
- Published: 2026-09-14T21:46:30+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: ai policy, china, agi, tech billionaires, governance, science, technology
## The billionaires want a brake
Dario Amodei, Sam Altman and Elon Musk have swung from chasing human-level AI to calling for a big slowdown in how fast the tech gets built.
## Two readings of the pivot
Some take it as proof AI could genuinely spin out of control. Others see a bailout pitch from CEOs who want cover before the investment bubble pops.
## Beijing calls it nonsense
Asked by a Reuters reporter at a routine Foreign Ministry press scrum, spokesperson Guo Jiakun rejected the framing outright and pushed open, inclusive development instead.

> Fear-mongering, confrontation and vicious competition will only hamper efforts toward sound global AI governance.
## A blip, not a headline
The answer was terse next to topics like Xi's New Delhi trip and the Nepal mudslides. What's roiling US markets barely registered in the briefing room.
## A different idea of AGI
Brookings fellow Kyle Chan wrote in February that US leaders treat AGI as a winner-takes-all race, while Chinese policymakers feel no urgency to sprint for it.
## Catch up, then out-apply
The bet is the pattern from EVs, cancer drugs and smartphones repeats: let someone else arrive first, then close the gap fast and win on applications.

> It started in the US, but China quickly caught up and led in consumer applications.
## Key takeaway

Beijing isn't racing toward AGI on America's terms, so a Western call for a slowdown reads to it as noise, not leadership.