US-China agree not to let AI make decisions on nuclear weapons

The White House said on November 16 that US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping met on the sidelines of the 2024 APEC Summit in Peru and agreed that the decision to use nuclear weapons "must be in the hands of humans", not artificial intelligence (AI).

"The two leaders emphasized the need to carefully consider potential risks and to develop AI in the military domain in a prudent and responsible manner," the White House statement said.

The Chinese government's summary of the meeting also reiterated this view.

It is unclear whether the announcement will lead to further discussions or action, but it still marks the first move by the US and China in a dialogue on nuclear weapons and AI, issues on which the two sides have made little progress.

Washington has been pressing Beijing for months to abandon its stance on nuclear arms talks. The two sides resumed formal talks this month but have hit a stalemate, with a top US official publicly expressing frustration with China’s response.

The US and China held their first formal talks on AI in May in Switzerland, but did not appear to address the decision-making process for using nuclear weapons.

The Pentagon estimated last year that Beijing has about 500 nuclear warheads and could deploy more than 1,000 by 2030. The United States and Russia have 1,770 and 1,710 operational nuclear warheads, respectively, not to mention thousands of nuclear weapons in storage.

Beijing practices a "minimum deterrence" doctrine, meaning it maintains only the smallest number of warheads needed to ensure it can respond to an attack, and is also the only nuclear power to practice a "no first fire" policy with its nuclear weapons.

The Biden administration this year updated its nuclear strategy, refocusing the US on deterrence. The White House previously said the update was “not directed at any specific entity, country or threat,” dismissing concerns from Russia, China and North Korea.