The United States and China have established an artificial intelligence (AI) hotline. The White House announced the development on Friday, following Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington.
Whether this communication channel will decelerate the AI race remains uncertain, as Washington maintains that its own development pace will not decrease.
A Cold War-Style Phone Line for AI
A White House document outlines that a new US-China Super Intelligence Dialogue will examine the risks and advantages of AI, with initial talks scheduled for November. A separate designated channel will manage AI-related incidents.
US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer likened the new channel to a historical precedent during a conversation with CBS.
“I think of like the red phone between the Kremlin and the White House during the Cold War,” CBS reported.
According to CBS, Xi stated that AI development should remain “always under human control.”
However, just hours prior to the discussions, Trump shared a different perspective on Truth Social.
“Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China’s position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!”
Despite these conversations, neither nation is slowing down. BeInCrypto reported on September 16 that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent initiated AI risk discussions with China while simultaneously asserting that the US would not decelerate its domestic AI initiatives.
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China Is Closing In on a Fraction of the Money
A significant financial gap exists between the two nations. Stanford’s 2026 AI Index indicated that private investors poured $285.9 billion into American AI in 2025, compared to $12.4 billion in private investment for China. The report points out that government backing likely increases China’s actual total.
Conversely, the performance gap between models is minimal. Stanford data from March showed that the leading US model outperformed its top Chinese competitor by only 2.7%.
Britain Tells Its Own Staff to Use Less AI
The establishment of the hotline coincides with the UK adopting a restrained domestic approach. Draft guidelines within the UK government’s AI Knowledge Hub advise official personnel to restrict AI usage strictly to necessary tasks to mitigate environmental footprints.
Employees are instructed to first determine whether standard tools like spreadsheets or search engines can accomplish the task. When AI is required, staff must select the smallest functional model, such as opting for Gemini Flash over Gemini Pro.
The directives mandate brief and infrequent prompts, noting that “you don’t need to say thankyou.” Additionally, workers must verify AI-generated responses for accuracy and declare when AI has assisted in creating or editing materials.
Trump and Xi are scheduled to meet again in November at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Shenzhen, ahead of which the initial AI dialogues are expected to take place.