The State Department drafted a letter demanding 35 nations choose between the U.S.-led Pax Silica framework and China’s rival AI coalition.
Kazakhstan is the only country known to have joined both AI blocs, sparking U.S. fears of dual loyalty and warnings against mixed participation.
The Pax Silica initiative aims to secure chips, AI models, and critical minerals while cutting dependence on hostile suppliers.
China launched its own World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, promoting open-weight tech as an alternative to U.S. influence.
The ultimatum lands while Washington’s own AI policy remains unsettled, including a safety review that exempts open-weight systems.
The State Department has prepared a letter informing 35 signatory countries that they must choose between aligning with Washington’s Pax Silica initiative or Beijing’s rival artificial intelligence framework, escalating the technology rivalry between the world’s two superpowers. The internal draft, reviewed by Reuters and described by a U.S. official, comes amid growing alarm over Kazakhstan becoming the only known nation to have joined both coalitions.
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