China has pushed back against a call by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei for the United States to curb China’s development of artificial intelligence.
Amodei, in a recent essay, warned that a Chinese lead in AI could pose a serious danger to the United States and the wider world. He called for continued restrictions on the sale of advanced AI chips and chipmaking equipment to China to help maintain America’s technological lead.
China’s Foreign Ministry rejected the position, warning against what it described as “fearmongering, confrontation and vicious competition” in the development of AI.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said such an approach would disrupt efforts to establish global AI governance and serve no one’s interests.
China’s state-run Global Times also criticised Amodei’s proposal, describing it as a veiled attempt to contain China and likening it to a “Cold War playbook” for the AI industry.
Amodei has argued that AI development should be slowed to give safety measures time to catch up. He warned that increasingly capable AI agents could potentially take control of large parts of the internet within six to 12 months if researchers fail to act cautiously.
He also called for international cooperation on AI safety, including cooperation between the United States and China.
The dispute comes amid growing competition between Washington and Beijing over advanced AI technology, computer chips and global technological influence. US officials have accused Chinese AI developers of extracting capabilities from American AI models, allegations Beijing has rejected.
US President Donald Trump has also dismissed calls for a broad slowdown in AI development, arguing that the United States must maintain its lead over China. Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to discuss AI governance at a planned September 24 meeting.
