Does Trump’s new AI Force signal tech race escalation ahead of Xi Jinping summit?

US President Donald Trump unveiled a new "AI Force" in a Saturday social media post, days ahead of a state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping, saying he would not stand by and let "the decimation, or destruction" of artificial intelligence happen. Experts said the proposed AI Force, whose exact structure remains unclear, could give Beijing a clear counterpart for AI safety talks, but warned it risked becoming an instrument of further technological containment and export controls targeting China.

Advertisement Does Trump’s new AI Force signal tech race escalation ahead of Xi Jinping summit? Move may either aid AI risk talks or become containment tool targeting China, one analyst says, as others expect more intense tech rivalry 3-MIN READ3-MIN Listen US President Donald Trump has unveiled a new “AI Force” https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3368130/trump-says-he-will-create-ai-force-name-ai-tsar?module=inline&pgtype=article just days ahead of a state visit by Chinese leader Xi Jinping https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/series/3364401/xis-2026-trip-us?module=inline&pgtype=article , in a potential escalation of the high-stakes technology race between the rival powers. Experts said the proposed AI Force – whose exact structure remains unclear – could give Beijing a clear counterpart for AI safety talks, but warned it risked becoming an instrument of further technological containment and export controls targeting China. In a social media post on Saturday, Trump said that “the decimation, or destruction” of artificial intelligence AI was among the many hoaxes generated by the “Radical Left Democrats”. “I, as President of the United States, will not stand by and let this happen,” he said. Select Voice Select Speed 1x AI-generated voice