# Why Trump and Xi may skip an AI pause > OpenAI and Anthropic want a U.S.-China AI slowdown, but both governments see speed as power. - Title: Why Trump and Xi may skip an AI pause · Fortune | Shortify - Summary: OpenAI and Anthropic want a U.S.-China AI slowdown, but both governments see speed as power. A U.S.-China AI safety deal is more likely to start with narrow… - Keywords: ai safety, china, trump, openai, anthropic, may, skip, pause, Fortune - Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/15/ai-slowdown-agenda-trump-xi-jinping-meeting - Author: Emily Forlini - Read time: 2 min - Topics: ai safety, china, trump, openai, anthropic ## Safety fears spike U.S. anxiety over AI risk surged after a viral post warned the technology could end humanity by decade's end. OpenAI and Anthropic renewed calls for Washington and Beijing to slow the race. > the technology could kill all of humanity by the end of the decade ## Altman floats a prize Sam Altman told Fortune that Trump and Xi could win the Nobel Peace Prize if they struck an AI safety deal. The appeal has not moved either leader toward a slowdown. > could win the Nobel Peace Prize ## Trump rejects limits Trump said the U.S. needs a strong president, not AI guardrails. China dismissed the U.S. debate as fear-mongering that could block sound global governance. > Whoever wins AI, wins! ## China sees containment In Beijing, slowdown calls look like another U.S. attempt to protect its lead, much like chip export controls. Xi views AI as a rare chance to shift global tech power. > China does not need U.S. permission ## Talks may start small Experts expect AI safety to come up when Trump and Xi meet on Sept. 24. But a broad deal is far off because the countries lack shared rules for testing and oversight. > a long way ## Weapons are the opening The likelier agenda is narrower, including a pledge not to weaponize AI and principles to stop non-state actors from using models against finance or infrastructure. > neither country wants to see ## Amodei draws backlash Dario Amodei's call for an AI speed limit has split opinion. Some U.S. observers see a risk framework, while critics in China see a bid to preserve U.S. market power. > speed limit ## Trump sides with speed Trump dismissed Amodei's warning during a call with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. He also called fears of AI taking over a hoax and said progress would not stop. > won’t stop our progress ## Open versus closed DeepSeek engineer Shengyu Liu argued frontier AI should be open and cheap. That reflects a wider split, with U.S. labs favoring closed models and China pushing open-weight systems. > available to everyone in an open and inexpensive form ## China is less alarmed The U.S. debate about saving humanity has not taken hold with most Chinese citizens. Many see AI as useful, profitable, and tied to national progress. > very positive about technology in general and AI in particular ## Experts still worry Chinese AI researchers are serious about cyber, biosecurity, and loss-of-control risks. Some officials want tighter oversight, but not necessarily a joint slowdown with Washington. > very concerned about cyber security and biosecurity risks ## Key takeaway A U.S.-China AI safety deal is more likely to start with narrow talks on weapons, misuse, and testing than with any broad slowdown.