There are growing calls for the US and China to coordinate an AI slowdown. But many aren’t asking a basic question: what does China think of AI risks?
My latest piece for the New York Times explains how China isn’t worried that AI will wipe out humanity but is growing increasingly concerned about other AI risks.
Read the piece: China is Scared of AI. Just Not the Way We Are.
In an interview with The New Yorker, I discuss how China has been closely following recent developments in the US, such as new AI-powered cyberattack capabilities with Mythos and OpenAI’s accidental hack of Hugging Face.
The interview ends with an interesting curveball question about China’s lessons from COVID. I said it gave Chinese leaders more confidence in their ability to tightly control society but also made them realize how quickly things can spiral out of hand.
Read the interview: Why China Isn’t Getting Existential About A.I.
Other recommended reading:
“China Isn’t Buying Silicon Valley’s Call for an AI Slowdown” by Louise Matsakis (WIRED)
“I Led A.I. Diplomacy for the U.S. The Coming Safety Talks Will Not Save Us.” by Seth Center (The New York Times)
“The ‘But China!’ Dilemma Driving the A.I. Race” Matt Sheehan on The Ezra Klein Show (The New York Times)
How China became climate-pilled—and what that means for AI
AI safety needs to be seen as a domestic priority for Chinese policymakers, not a foreign demand. Climate change offers a useful parallel.
China's global AI strategy
Xi Jinping recently gave the keynote speech (English version) at the 2026 World AI Conference in Shanghai. He emphasized China’s commitment to openness and sharing the benefits of AI with the rest of the world, presenting a stark contrast to the US approach of closed AI development.
This is really important and for a country which takes care of its ppl this way really shows that it has concern towards their people. And it shows this coz on one side the American president is saying that we can't afford to slow down because China will move ahead. Instead of taking care of the governance and everything, they are fighting for the race (and I agree that this is right but not at the cost of its people). And on the other hand, the China is even not slowing down but even taking care of its people and governance. Where one nation is just, putting the work on tomorrow like let's do the governance thing after having this meeting. The other country on the other hand is already taking care of it.