# US and China may discuss AI safety risks

> Treasury Secretary Bessent signals openness to talks with China on artificial intelligence risks as tech leaders debate slowing AI development.
- Title: US and China may discuss AI safety risks · Pymnts | Shortify
- Summary: Treasury Secretary Bessent signals openness to talks with China on artificial intelligence risks as tech leaders debate slowing AI development. The US is…
- Keywords: scott bessent, treasury secretary, united states, china, artificial intelligence, ai safety, ai risks, xi jinping, he lifeng, sam altman, openai, dario amodei
- Source: Pymnts — https://pymnts.com/news/artificial-intelligence/2026/bessent-says-us-may-discuss-ai-risks-with-china
- Author: PYMNTS
- Published: 2026-09-16T22:40:26+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: scott bessent, treasury secretary, united states, china, artificial intelligence, ai safety, ai risks, xi jinping, he lifeng, sam altman, openai, dario amodei
## US opens door to China AI talks
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters the US is willing to discuss artificial intelligence risks with China in upcoming talks this weekend.

> we are open to discussions on avoiding shared risks and avoiding bifurcation of our two systems
## High-level meetings scheduled
Bessent will meet with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng this week, while President Trump is set to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping next week.
## Silicon Valley pushes AI slowdown
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay on September 12 titled "We Must Pace the Frontier," proposing the industry slow down new AI model releases due to safety concerns.
## OpenAI considers development slowdown
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees the company is considering slowing its cutting-edge AI development and hopes other labs will join the effort.
## Tech leaders align on safety
OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind have been collaborating for weeks on AI safety issues. Hassabis, Altman, and Musk have all publicly agreed with Amodei's slowdown proposal.

> The scientists who built this technology have the money, the talent and the knowledge to govern it
## Key takeaway

The US is willing to engage with China on AI safety, while Silicon Valley leaders increasingly agree that slowing AI model releases is necessary.