US Will Urge Partners to Choose Sides in AI Race Between Washington and Beijing

The United States is preparing to urge dozens of countries to align themselves in the competition with China in the field of artificial intelligence, warning that countries that join Beijing's initiative may be excluded from the coalition led by Washington. This was reported by Reuters, citing an American official and a draft document in their possession.

Washington launched the Pax Silica initiative last year, aimed at securing supply chains for AI models, semiconductors, and critical minerals. Around two dozen countries have joined the initiative, including Japan, Australia, South Korea, and Kazakhstan.

According to Reuters, a letter prepared by the U.S. State Department is set to be sent to the 35 countries that signed the “AI Opportunity Statement” in June. The letter calls on countries to make a “conscious choice” and notes that membership in Pax Silica cannot be reconciled with participation in competing initiatives.

In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping introduced the “Global Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization” as a competing initiative to U.S. influence. Kazakhstan is currently the only known country that has joined both the American and Chinese initiatives.

An American official told Reuters that Washington wants to make it clear to partners that “both cannot happen simultaneously.” The goal of the U.S. is to create a unified technological ecosystem with its allies and partners while reducing dependence on China for critical minerals, AI models, and semiconductors. Reuters notes that it is still unclear when the U.S. plans to send the letter and whether its content will change before then.