Promising Topics for U.S.-China Dialogues on AI Risks and Governance

Both the U.S. and China share concerns about algorithmic transparency and system reliability, suggesting these could serve as starting points for productive international dialogue on AI safety rather than areas of inevitable conflict.

The research identified "strong and moderate overlap" across multiple governance approaches by systematically analyzing over 40 official policy documents from both nations, indicating that despite geopolitical tensions, concrete opportunities exist for bilateral cooperation on responsible AI development.

Both nations recognize the importance of inclusive multi-stakeholder engagement in AI governance, meaning they agree that diverse perspectives from industry, academia, civil society, and government should inform AI policy—a potential foundation for collaborative standard-setting.

AI's role in enhancing safety was identified as an area of agreement, suggesting the U.S. and China could cooperate on developing AI systems that improve public safety and security rather than viewing AI governance purely through a competitive lens.

Harmonizing different international governance frameworks is possible and necessary, as the paper demonstrates that despite different political systems, both nations' official documents reveal sufficient common ground to work toward compatible—rather than conflicting—global AI standards.