Trump Admin Eyes AI Executive Meeting During Xi State Visit

Trump administration weighs AI executive session during high-stakes China summit

Trump administration officials are exploring the possibility of convening major artificial intelligence executives during Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Washington next week, according to sources who spoke with CNN.

The potential meeting would bring together leaders from companies at the forefront of AI development to discuss the technology's future and associated risks. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang are among those expected to attend the state dinner for Xi and could participate in such a session, though no final arrangements have been confirmed.

A Trump administration official told CNN the White House maintains regular contact with AI frontier labs and will continue engaging with the technology sector "to cement America's AI dominance while keeping Americans safe."

Why it matters

The timing of this potential meeting underscores the tension between domestic AI safety concerns and international competition. While prominent AI leaders have warned about unchecked technological risks, the administration appears focused on maintaining America's lead over China — creating a complex policy environment where regulation could be viewed as either prudent safeguard or competitive disadvantage.

Sharp divide over AI regulation emerges

The discussion comes amid a public split between AI industry leaders and President Trump over the need for guardrails on the technology. Executives including Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, and SpaceXAI's Elon Musk have voiced concerns about potential dangers if AI development proceeds without adequate oversight.

Trump has dismissed these warnings forcefully. In a social media post Monday, he called predictions of "AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad" a "HOAX" and part of a "SICK conspiracy." The president has expressed concern that slowing AI growth could benefit China in the global technology race.

During a phone call with Huang at a Los Angeles summit Monday, Trump reiterated his skepticism, telling the audience: "The robots will not be taking over. The AI will not be taking over the rest of the world. The whole thing is a hoax."

Possibility of US-China AI framework

Some lawmakers see the Xi visit as an opportunity to establish shared standards between the world's two largest economies. Altman told Fortune Magazine last week that Trump and Xi could earn a Nobel Peace Prize together if they reached an agreement on AI development protocols.

"Even if just the US and China could agree on some shared standards and testing for development of this technology, I think that'd be a wonderful accomplishment that the two of them can deliver," Altman said.

House Speaker Mike Johnson confirmed discussions about an AI executive meeting have been ongoing, though he characterized the timing near Xi's visit as coincidental. "We've been talking about this for quite some time," Johnson told CNN Tuesday, adding that recent public debate "prompted us to go ahead and schedule it."

Xi Jinping is not currently expected to participate in the AI executive meeting if it occurs, according to sources. Representatives from Meta, Anthropic, Google, and SpaceXAI did not respond to requests for comment.

These details were first reported by CNN.