China, USA and Russia negotiate agreement on AI use in nuclear weapons

China, the United States and Russia are negotiating a possible compromise on the use of artificial intelligence (IA) in nuclear weapons, in order to reach an understanding during the APEC summit, today reported a Hong Kong newspaper.

According to the South China Morning Post, which cites sources familiar with the negotiations, the three countries have been in contact for several weeks to set the agenda and protocol for a possible meeting between Presidents Xi Jinping, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, on the margins of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit (APEC), scheduled for November 18-19, in Shenzhen, southern China.

The talks now focus on areas where there may be consensus, particularly the role of the AI in nuclear weapons control and control systems.

Among the proposals discussed are a commitment to maintaining human control over decisions on the use of nuclear weapons and a joint declaration against a future nuclear war.

The war in Ukraine and the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, initially considered possible themes, will have been virtually removed from the agenda, according to the same sources.

Washington also insists on discussing the control of the nuclear arsenals of the three powers, a possibility that Beijing has rejected, arguing that its arsenal is much lower than that of the United States and Russia.

According to one source, China has proposed addressing nuclear transparency in a less comprehensive alternative to negotiations on strategic stability.

Heather Williams, senior investigator at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), considered it possible for all three countries to reaffirm that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought.

The expert recalled that the three powers have already endorsed this principle, together with France and the United Kingdom, as permanent members of the United Nations Security Council.

Another possible understanding concerns the prior notification of missile launches and the prohibition of computer attacks against nuclear control and control systems.

Russia has been more cautious than China about imposing formal limits on the use of AI in nuclear systems and has not publicly endorsed the understanding between Beijing and Washington on the need to maintain human control of these decisions.

Trump recently expressed interest in a trilateral meeting on nuclear weapons and denuclearisation, stating on Sunday that one of the meetings scheduled during the visit to China may include Xi and Putin.

However, according to a source quoted by the South China Morning Post, preparations progress slowly and the agendas of the three leaders may hinder the holding of the meeting.

A possible trilateral meeting would also represent a diplomatic success for Beijing by strengthening China's role in world governance, while allowing Putin to affirm Russia's international relevance, despite the isolation imposed by the West due to the war in Ukraine, according to sources.