US proposes sharing AI incident alerts with China

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on September 20 that the US had proposed an AI incident notification system to China. Reuters and AP reported his remarks after he met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York.

The proposal would cover incidents serious enough to affect national security. Bessent said the two countries also discussed more AI talks before the planned Trump-Xi summit.

The US has proposed the system. The reports do not show that either country has started using it or agreed to binding reporting rules.

When an AI incident crosses borders, governments may not know who caused it or who can help stop it. A timely alert could help them answer those questions sooner.

But the alert must reach someone with the authority to act. An agreement to communicate does not say who takes the call or what happens next.

A summit statement could show whether both governments support the proposal. Written rules could define which incidents qualify, how quickly each country must send an alert and who receives it.

A joint exercise or a documented incident would show whether the system works. Another promise to keep talking would not.