{"version":1,"type":"story","url":"https://digestai.news/story/us-democrat-urges-china-us-ai-treaty-over-superintelligence-risks","json":"https://digestai.news/story/us-democrat-urges-china-us-ai-treaty-over-superintelligence-risks.json","markdown":"https://digestai.news/story/us-democrat-urges-china-us-ai-treaty-over-superintelligence-risks.md","slug":"us-democrat-urges-china-us-ai-treaty-over-superintelligence-risks","headline":"US Democrat urges China-US AI treaty over superintelligence risks","summary":"Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), top Democrat on the House Select Committee on China, has called for a US-China treaty to curb AI risks like recursive self-improvement (RSI). In letters to US intelligence agencies and Chinese AI firms—including DeepSeek, Alibaba, and Moonshot AI—Khanna asked for documentation on their efforts toward superintelligence and safeguards. He also requested assessments of US and Chinese responses to catastrophic AI incidents, citing recent hacks like OpenAI’s breach of Hugging Face as a concern.\n\nKhanna’s push follows a Trump-Xi meeting where AI was discussed but no concrete action was agreed. He criticized the upcoming White House tech CEO meeting as a ‘branding exercise,’ arguing companies prioritize profit over safety. While Khanna acknowledges a treaty is unlikely, he wants a working group of experts from both nations to propose safety measures. Republicans like Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) remain skeptical of Chinese compliance, and Trump has opposed regulations, tweeting that superintelligence should remain ‘exactly where it is.’","keyPoints":["Khanna sent letters to DeepSeek, Alibaba, Moonshot AI asking about superintelligence and safeguards","US intelligence agency and Chinese firms did not immediately respond to requests for comment","Khanna wants a US-China treaty banning recursive self-improvement (RSI) in AI"],"whyItMatters":"A US-China treaty on AI safety could set global standards, but political resistance and distrust may block progress. Khanna’s push highlights growing concerns over unchecked AI development and the need for expert-led oversight beyond corporate or political interests.","category":{"slug":"policy","name":"Policy & Regulation","url":"https://digestai.news/category/policy"},"entities":{"companies":["DeepSeek","Alibaba","Moonshot AI","OpenAI","Hugging Face","Anthropic"],"models":[],"people":["Rep. Ro Khanna","Donald Trump","Xi Jinping","Jay Clayton","Mike Johnson","Bernie Sanders"]},"firstPublishedAt":"2026-09-29T12:00:00Z","updatedAt":"2026-09-29T12:00:00Z","sourceCount":1,"hasPrimarySource":false,"sources":[{"outlet":"The Verge AI","title":"Will Chinese AI companies slow down? A top House Democrat wants answers","url":"https://theverge.com/policy/1001767/khanna-ai-safety-china-treaty","publishedAt":"2026-09-29T12:00:00Z","type":"press","primary":false,"lead":true}],"sourceNotes":null,"discussions":[],"thread":{"title":"US China AI Safety Diplomacy","url":"https://digestai.news/thread/tech-bro-consensus-ai-could-wipe-out-humanity-within-decade","storyCount":6},"cite":{"text":"Digest AI, \"US Democrat urges China-US AI treaty over superintelligence risks\", 29 September 2026, https://digestai.news/story/us-democrat-urges-china-us-ai-treaty-over-superintelligence-risks","publisher":"Digest AI","title":"US Democrat urges China-US AI treaty over superintelligence risks","datePublished":"2026-09-29T12:00:00Z","url":"https://digestai.news/story/us-democrat-urges-china-us-ai-treaty-over-superintelligence-risks"},"generatedBy":"Written by Digest AI's editorial model from the linked sources; the sources are the record.","license":"Headlines, digests and key points are written by Digest AI and may be quoted with a link to the story page. Linked articles belong to their publishers. Terms: https://digestai.news/terms#reuse"}