Washington, Sep 24 (IANS) Seventeen Democratic senators have urged President Donald Trump to seek an agreement with China on artificial intelligence safety when he meets President Xi Jinping, proposing common rules for testing advanced AI systems and asking him to consider a mutual pause in their development.
In a letter led by Senator Chris Van Hollen on Wednesday (local time), the lawmakers called for direct talks at the summit planned for September 24. They warned that a race to build increasingly powerful AI without adequate safeguards could expose people in both countries to cyberattacks and other dangers.
The senators want a formal agreement covering how advanced AI models are developed, tested and used. They also want the two governments to discuss oversight of those models, human control over autonomous systems and a way to verify that any agreed rules are being followed.
“AI technology is too powerful, and its risks too many, for the US and China to forgo discussions on parameters around its development and use,” they wrote.
A pause in development is a proposal in the letter, not an agreed step. The lawmakers asked Trump to consider it as part of efforts to prevent AI from being used for cyberattacks, biological weapons development and other harmful activities. The materials provided do not include a response from the White House or the Chinese government.
The letter says existing safeguards in both countries are insufficient. It points to a voluntary US testing scheme before the public release of advanced models and says China reportedly has testing and registration requirements for some AI applications. The senators said they were uncertain how consistently the Chinese rules were applied.
They argued that discussions with Beijing should begin at the summit but should not hold up stronger safeguards in the United States. Congress and AI companies, they said, should continue working on domestic measures while the governments explore an international agreement.
The lawmakers raised particular concern about AI in military systems. Both countries are integrating the technology into defence applications, including autonomous and unmanned systems, the letter says. It calls for people to retain meaningful control over its use.
For the senators, enforcement is central to any deal. They urged the two governments to discuss technical ways to check compliance, alongside standards for testing, monitoring and oversight. Without such measures, a pledge on AI safety would be difficult to assess.
They compared the task with negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union over nuclear arms. Despite their differences, the two powers reached agreements that included ways to verify compliance, the lawmakers wrote. They called for a similar commitment to detailed technical work on AI.
Van Hollen’s letter was signed by 16 colleagues, including Senators Ben Ray Lujan, Maria Cantwell, Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth. It asks Trump to raise AI directly with Xi rather than leave the issue solely to lower-level discussions.
The appeal follows a separate September 18 letter from House Democrats, including Representatives Sara Jacobs and Ami Bera, calling for sustained US-China dialogue on AI safety risks. Representative Kristen McDonald Rivet also urged the leaders on Wednesday to seek common rules that protect workers, consumers and security.
At the same time, Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has pressed Trump to restrict China’s access to advanced American AI chips and chipmaking equipment. His demand concerns the technology China can obtain; the Van Hollen letter concerns rules the two governments might agree on for developing and using AI. Neither proposal has been adopted as a result of the planned summit.
–IANS
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