Bridging the Artificial Intelligence Governance Gap: The United States' and China's Divergent Approaches to Governing General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence

The United States and China are among the world's top players in the development of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) systems, and both are keen to lead in global AI governance and development. A look at U.S. and Chinese policy landscapes reveals differences in how the two countries approach the governance of general-purpose artificial intelligence (GPAI) systems. Three areas of divergence are notable for policymakers: the focus of domestic AI regulation, key principles of domestic AI regulation, and approaches to implementing international AI governance. As AI development continues, global conversation around AI has warned of global safety and security challenges posed by GPAI systems. Cooperation between the United States and China might be needed to address these risks, and understanding the implications of these differences might help address the broader challenges for international cooperation between the United States and China on AI safety and security.