Why China Isn’t Panicking About AI Armageddon

China treats AI apocalypse worry as a low priority since they see themselves as behind the U.S. and focused on competitiveness

Our models aren't going to end the world anytime soon; we need to focus on being competitive

The AI standoff mirrors the nuclear arms race, with China refusing to unilaterally slow development for fairness reasons

China takes AI safety seriously but defines it mainly as protecting Party control and social stability, treating existential risk as a minor item

China lags the U.S. mainly due to lack of chips, but competes via open-weight, customizable models

China's AI ambition is driven by historical humiliation and a desire for technological parity with the U.S.

American calls to slow AI development are fearmongering and part of a Cold War playbook to hobble China

Trump administration consistently prioritizes staying ahead of China in AI over slowing down or heavy regulation

We're leading China in AI and want to keep it that way

Explains the regulatory capture concern raised by Sachs, Vance and others that big AI firms seek regulation to cement dominance

Anthropic and OpenAI's calls for regulation are a way to cement their market dominance

Our calls for regulation reflect genuine security risks, not an attempt to block competitors

A concrete U.S.-China deal to slow AI is unlikely; expectations for the Xi-Trump meeting are low