Artificial intelligence has become a race between the United States and China, with the rest of the world largely sidelined, foreign policy experts say. As rogue A.I. hacking episodes heighten international alarm, U.N. General Assembly meetings in New York this week focus on digital cooperation, risks, and governance.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping is expected to skip the U.N. to meet President Trump in Washington, where A.I. safety concerns have been dismissed as a hoax. The stakes are immense, with both nations accusing each other of IP theft and restricting advanced computer chips.

Kyle Chan of the Brookings Institution states, "The U.N., to put it bluntly, has been sidelined in the A.I. conversation... It’s a two-player game." Despite this, U.N. Secretary General António Guterres urges global cooperation, warning of A.I. risks like misinformation and superintelligence.

A U.S.-China A.I. dialogue mechanism was proposed to share national security alerts, reflecting the growing tension and urgency around A.I. dominance.