US State Department Pressures Allies to Choose Sides in AI Race Against China
The United States is preparing to issue a directive to several countries, urging them to align exclusively with either a US-led artificial intelligence coalition or China's competing framework. According to a US official and an internal draft reviewed by Reuters, countries that join Beijing's initiative will be excluded from the US-led AI coalition. This move is part of Washington's broader strategy to secure supply chains for AI models, semiconductors, and critical minerals, an effort initiated last year with the launch of the Pax Silica initiative. The draft letter, prepared by the State Department, is addressed to the 35 signatories of a US 'AI Opportunity Statement' and emphasizes that participation in the Pax Silica Declaration is a commitment that cannot be held alongside membership in 'duplicative initiatives whose expectations conflict with our own.' The US aims to prevent countries from simultaneously engaging with both frameworks, particularly after Kazakhstan, a key source of critical minerals, ... 
