Chinese academic warns US-China AI race must not become Cold War

Chinese academic Zheng Yongnian warned that China and the US must prevent AI competition from escalating into a new Cold War, stating neither power can manage the technology's risks alone. He made the remarks on the day of a Xi-Trump meeting in Washington. Zheng stressed cooperation is essential to build an international framework, rejecting separate US and Chinese systems as a "terrible" Cold War dynamic. He noted Washington proposed an AI incident notification mechanism, while arguing AI risks may exceed nuclear weapons due to rapid evolution in a regulatory vacuum. The US favors costly advanced systems and secure supply chains, while China promotes open-source, cheaper models for emerging economies. Zheng acknowledged current competition differs from the US-Soviet era due to ongoing engagement, but cited low political trust amid accusations of AI model copying.