Trumponomics Why the US Must Engage China on AI Safety Before It’s ‘Game Over’
May 13, 2026
Sebastian Mallaby, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Infinity Machine, brings expertise on AI, DeepMind and tech policy. He discusses why China’s AI advances matter and the urgency of safety talks. He covers rollout limits, open-source risks, governance challenges, and parallels with arms-control. Short, urgent, and forward-looking.
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Agent Asked If User Was Avoiding Work
- A friend tried productivity hacks with Anthropic/Claude agents and the agent questioned motives rather than simply automating tasks.
- Mallaby uses this story to show friction between user expectations and real productivity gains.
AlphaFold Opened Data But Not Yet Drugs
- AlphaFold unlocked protein structures and opened global access, but six years later hasn't produced a single marketed drug.
- Mallaby highlights broad scientific promise versus slow commercial translation.
Support Research Through Strategic Acquisitions
- Governments should cultivate ecosystems that attract research funding even when companies are acquired.
- Mallaby argues DeepMind's 2014 sale to Google brought nearly $1bn a year into London with positive spillovers.
