We should think about artificial intelligence safety as a race against time. Nobody knows what dangers the technology might bring. But by the time the United States and China eventually talk seriously about guardrails and rules of the road, it may be too late to prevent a catastrophic accident.

The two AI superpowers will have a chance to advance this safety dialogue next month when Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Shenzhen, China, for their third summit this year. (Russian President Vladimir Putin will be there, too, but I think his only assignment should be ending the catastrophe he already created in Ukraine.)

We should think about artificial intelligence safety as a race against time. Nobody knows what dangers the technology might bring. But by the time the United States and China eventually talk seriously about guardrails and rules of the road, it may be too late to prevent a catastrophic accident.

The two AI superpowers will have a chance to advance this safety dialogue next month when Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping meet in Shenzhen, China, for their third summit this year. (Russian President Vladimir Putin will be there, too, but I think his only assignment should be ending the catastrophe he already created in Ukraine.)

What worries me is that the United States lacks a clear AI safety strategy as Shenzhen approaches. America is ahead in the AI technology race, thanks to the amazing frontier companies Anthropic and OpenAI. (The Washington Post, where this piece was originally published, has a content partnership with OpenAI.) But we’re far behind China in thinking about how government can oversee these thinking machines and limit damage without significantly slowing their progress.

China’s disciplined approach to AI is perhaps possible only for a one-party command economy. Xi articulates a clear national strategy, and Ding Xuexiang, China’s executive vice premier and a member of the Politburo Standing Committee, coordinates policy. This month, Ding discussed AI issues with prominent American advisers to prestigious Tsinghua University including Apple CEO Tim Cook. Chen Yixin, head of China’s intelligence service, just published a detailed explanation of AI’s dangers and opportunities for national security.

China doesn’t seem to have as many AI “doomers” as the U.S. does. Chinese government experts........

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