Ahead of President Donald Trump’s meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the United States is looking at setting up a direct communication channel with China to deal with emergencies involving artificial intelligence, including incidents that could pose national security risks.Axios reported that the US and China are exploring an AI “red phone” that could allow the two countries to communicate directly if an AI-related crisis spirals out of control.The proposal is part of wider discussions on a mechanism to notify each other about serious AI incidents, particularly those involving national security.The proposed hotline comes as Washington and Beijing compete for leadership in AI while also facing concerns about the potential misuse of increasingly powerful systems.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has discussed a possible “notification mechanism” with Chinese officials ahead of Trump’s meeting with Xi.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meanwhile, stressed the need to balance AI development with safeguards against its potential risks.“If there’s harm that comes from AI, we have to protect our country from it,” Rubio said, while warning that the US cannot afford to fall behind in the global AI race.“But we CANNOT afford to NOT be at the leading edge of AI because it’s going to happen. And if it’s going to happen, we should BENEFIT from it and we should be in the lead,” he said.Rubio also highlighted the rapid pace at which AI technology is developing, saying new and more advanced models are emerging within months. “By the time you build guardrails around what you have now, you have something new and you have to build new guardrails,” he said.The idea of an AI hotline draws a parallel with the Cold War-era communication channel established between Washington and Moscow after the Cuban Missile Crisis.The aim would be to prevent an AI-related incident from escalating because of miscommunication or a lack of direct contact.However, the exact circumstances that would trigger such a hotline remain unclear. Potential scenarios could involve AI-enabled cyberattacks, threats to critical infrastructure or other incidents with national security implications.The proposal comes as Trump and Xi prepare to meet in Washington, with AI expected to be among the issues discussed by the two leaders.