China has criticised a proposal by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei to slow the development of advanced artificial intelligence, with the state-backed Global Times describing the approach as a Cold War strategy aimed at restricting Beijing’s technological progress.
Amodei recently outlined a framework for slowing the development of frontier AI systems to provide more time to address growing safety concerns. His proposal was later endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
Alongside the call for a measured pace of AI development, Amodei urged the United States to tighten chip export restrictions on China and take action against alleged model distillation by Chinese AI companies. He said a major challenge would arise if China or other countries considered adversarial by Washington refused to slow their own AI development.
The Global Times argued that the proposal was designed to limit China’s AI industry through technology restrictions and regulatory barriers while maintaining US dominance over advanced technologies. It also accused Washington of attempting to keep China outside global discussions on AI governance.
The editorial described the approach as a “silent AI Cold War” and warned that excluding China from global AI development could increase the risks and costs associated with controlling increasingly powerful systems.
The debate comes as concerns over AI safety grow in the United States. Lawmakers have been considering stronger rules following warnings from Anthropic researchers about the possibility that rapidly advancing AI could eventually pose an existential threat to humanity.
US President Donald Trump has rejected calls to slow AI development, arguing that the United States currently leads China in the technology and should maintain that advantage. Trump has said that the country that wins the AI race will gain a major strategic advantage.
Meanwhile, the United States and China are expected to discuss frontier AI safety risks in September. The issue could also feature in a planned meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24.
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