The United States is preparing to tell dozens of countries they must pick sides in the artificial intelligence race with China, warning they will be excluded from a US-led AI coalition if they also sign up for Beijing's competing framework. According to reports from Reuters, the draft letter prepared by the State Department is addressed to the 35 signatories of a US "AI Opportunity Statement" signed in June, which includes members of the non-binding Pax Silica framework and other countries that have expressed a desire to align cooperation on AI with Washington. The proposed message represents a significant escalation in the US approach to international AI cooperation, moving beyond encouraging countries to work with Washington to explicitly asking them to choose between competing technology frameworks.
Washington launched the Pax Silica initiative last year aimed at securing supply chains for AI models, semiconductors and critical minerals, amid a fierce technology rivalry with Beijing. As reported by Reuters, about two dozen countries have joined, including Japan, Australia and South Korea, with Kazakhstan also participating despite becoming the only country known to join both initiatives. The US touted Kazakhstan in June as the first country in Central Asia to join Pax Silica, bringing significant reserves of critical minerals that fuel advanced technologies. The initiative focuses on the broader supply chain supporting AI development, including semiconductor chips and critical minerals, which are essential to the production and operation of advanced computing systems.
In July, Chinese President Xi Jinping launched a rival 'World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization', promoting his country's open-weight technology as a challenge to US influence over the fast-moving sector. According to Reuters, Kazakhstan is the only country so far known to have joined both initiatives, setting off alarm bells in Washington. The Chinese embassy in Washington said the country opposes politicizing trade and technology issues, stating that such actions will only stifle global AI advances. The competing frameworks illustrate the growing division in global technology governance, with Washington seeking to strengthen a network based on cooperation with US allies and partners, while Beijing promotes a model centered on broader access to Chinese AI technology.
The Pax Silica agreement aims to push US allies and partners toward joint projects and export controls, and ultimately reduce reliance on adversaries for critical minerals, AI models and the semiconductor chips that power them. As reported by Reuters, US officials drafted the letter to make clear that "you can't have it both ways," with a US official stating it's difficult to see how a country can credibly position themselves as trusted partners in one technology ecosystem while simultaneously signing up for an initiative designed by China to advance a competing vision for AI. The competition is increasingly becoming part of the broader strategic competition between Washington and Beijing, with semiconductors, critical minerals, AI models and export controls now closely connected. The growing rivalry between the world's two largest technological powers is creating difficult choices for countries that want to cooperate with both powers.
