Artificial intelligence has moved from the realm of science fiction to the core of global power politics. What once seemed like a purely technological or commercial competition has rapidly become a defining national security issue of the 21st century. In November 2024, when US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping issued their first substantive joint statement acknowledging the risks posed by AI-specifically affirming the need to maintain human control over nuclear weapons-it marked a small but symbolically significant step. The statement itself was modest, even obvious, yet the diplomatic effort behind it revealed how difficult and necessary such engagement has become.

At first glance, agreeing that AI should not autonomously decide the use of nuclear weapons may appear like diplomatic low-hanging fruit. Few people anywhere in the world would argue otherwise. But in the context of US–China relations, even the simplest agreements are hard-won. Beijing remains deeply skeptical of Washington’s risk-reduction proposals, often suspecting them of being veiled attempts to constrain China’s rise. Russia, for its part, has resisted similar language in multilateral forums, and any bilateral progress between Washington and Beijing risks creating strategic daylight between Moscow and Beijing. That it took more than a year of negotiations to produce such a basic statement underscores how fraught this terrain is.

Yet the importance of that agreement should not be underestimated. It demonstrated that the world’s two leading AI powers-locked in fierce technological, economic, and military competition-can still find common ground on managing existential risks. Even more importantly, it showed that dialogue on AI risk is possible at all. Earlier in 2024, diplomats and experts from the US and China met in Geneva for the first extended bilateral session dedicated solely to AI risks. While the meeting produced no concrete breakthroughs, its very occurrence was historic. Both sides were able to identify critical areas of concern that require sustained work, laying a foundation for future engagement.

That foundation must now be built upon urgently. The pace of AI development and deployment, in both civilian and military contexts, is accelerating at breathtaking speed. Systems are becoming more capable, more autonomous, and more widely accessible. As this momentum grows, so too do the risks. Without deliberate and sustained diplomacy, the world risks stumbling into crises that neither Washington nor Beijing intends-or can easily control.

One of the most immediate dangers lies in the diffusion of........

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