Anthropic’s AI Slowdown Push a 'Cold War' Tactic: China State Newspaper

China’s state-backed Global Times has accused Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei of using growing concerns over artificial intelligence safety to advance what it described as a “Cold War playbook” aimed at restricting China’s technological rise.

The attack followed an essay in which Amodei argued for slowing the pace of frontier AI development to create more time to address what he described as increasingly serious safety risks.

China Sees Containment Behind Safety Push

Global Times said Amodei’s proposals went beyond risk management and instead sought to reinforce U.S. technological dominance.

The newspaper said the underlying objective was “to attempt to curb China's AI development through technological barriers and regulatory monopolies, uphold Washington's monopolistic hegemony in cutting-edge technology, and exclude China from the global AI governance system.”

Amodei had also called for stronger U.S. chip export controls on China and tougher action against alleged model distillation by Chinese AI laboratories.

He later told CBS News that the “toughest dilemma” in slowing AI development would arise if China and other adversarial countries refused to follow the same path.

‘Silent AI Cold War’

Global Times described that approach as part of a broader effort to divide the AI sector along geopolitical lines.

“This 'silent AI Cold War' is hypocritical and short-sighted,” the newspaper said.

It argued that excluding China from global AI innovation would “significantly increase the trial-and-error costs and risks of loss of control in global AI development.”

Amodei’s essay was subsequently endorsed by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Washington Divided Over the Pace of AI

The dispute comes as U.S. policymakers face increasingly stark warnings over the potential consequences of rapidly advancing AI systems.

U.S. lawmakers have called for new rules governing AI after two Anthropic researchers warned that continued progress could ultimately threaten human survival.

President Donald Trump rejected calls for a slowdown on Sunday, saying “very negative forces” were overstating the danger.

“We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins,” Trump said.

Beijing Calls for an ‘Open’ Approach

China’s foreign ministry also pushed back against calls that could deepen confrontation over the technology.

Asked about proposals from U.S. technology executives to slow AI development, spokesperson Guo Jiakun urged countries to “promote an open, inclusive and benevolent approach to AI.”

“Fomenting various threats, engaging in confrontation and malicious competition will only disrupt the process of global governance of artificial intelligence and is not in the interests of any party,” Guo said.

The U.S. and China are expected to discuss frontier AI safety risks in mid-September.

The issue could also emerge during a planned September 24 summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.