Economist argues US should prioritize AI safety collaboration with China over chip export controls

What was said

"I would prioritize collaboration with China, and if that meant, you know, loosening up a little bit on the export controls, I would be okay with that."

Sebastian Mallaby, visiting China in March before his book's US publication, found Chinese AI leaders unexpectedly engaged with AI safety concerns, contrary to Biden administration officials' claims that China refused to discuss the topic. After supporting chip export controls in 2022, Mallaby now argues the controls have failed to deliver a meaningful US advantage, with the frontier model gap at only 8 months, and advocates prioritizing collaboration with China on preventing dangerous AI proliferation over maintaining export restrictions.