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- President Donald Trump unveils plans to appoint an “AI czar” as part of an “AI Force.”
- AI regulation has emerged as a key topic for the U.S.-China state meeting this week.
- Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice President He Lifeng held “successful” talks in New York over the weekend.
- Germany’s ruling party is facing a deepening crisis after another weekend of regional election shocks.
- Russia’s pro-Putin party is on track to win the parliamentary election, after Moscow came under heavy fire from Ukraine during the weekend voting.
China’s President Xi Jinping (R) gestures as he meets with US President Donald Trump (L) during a visit to Zhongnanhai Garden in Beijing on May 15, 2026. Evan Vucci | Afp | Getty Images
Hello, this is Leonie Kidd coming to you from London. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.
For President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping this week, AI will present not just a technological issue, but a new front in the contest for economic and political dominance.
But should staying ahead in the AI race come at any cost?
Read on for more.
What you need to know today
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced the creation of an “AI Force,” led by an adviser known as an “AI czar.”
“We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry,” Trump wrote on Truth Social, his social media platform. “Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows! However, we will also be looking for BAD, and we can do that, very easily, with our already existing Criminal and Civil Justice System.”
No other details followed Trump’s statement, which followed a week of disruption for the AI industry after Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI called for a slowdown in model development, while Nvidia and Meta downplayed safety concerns.
AI is expected to be front and center at the much-anticipated state meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Over the weekend, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent met with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, where the two agreed to establish a “U.S.-China AI Dialogue” with a notification mechanism for AI incidents.
CEOs invited
The state dinner meeting between President Trump and President Xi is due to take place on Thursday, with a slew of CEOs also in attendance.
According to CNBC sources, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and Citigroup CEO Jane Fraser are expected to join the boss of OpenAI, Sam Altman, and Nvidia‘s Jensen Huang, among others, at the banquet.
So far, there are no confirmed Chinese CEOs attending the event.
No sugarcoating
In Europe, Germany’s Chancellor Friedrich Merz is facing growing challenges to his leadership after another weekend of regional election losses.
Both far-right and far-left parties made gains in two separate regional votes. Merz acknowledged his party’s results were “a disaster,” but he remained defiant about his leadership.
“What needs to be done now requires backbone, steadfastness, and patience,” Merz said in a statement shortly after the exit polls.
Russia
Meanwhile, Russia’s ruling party is on track to win parliamentary elections after a tightly controlled weekend vote.
Moscow accused Ukraine of trying to disrupt the election after Kyiv launched its biggest-ever drone attack on the Russian capital on Sunday. The attacks caused several fatalities and damaged a refinery just outside Moscow.
— Leonie Kidd
And Finally…
Trump says his planned arch would become a ‘military complex’ able to host drones and snipers
President Donald Trump said Sunday that the massive arch he wants to build between the Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery would become a “top grade military complex” able to host drones and snipers while storing ammunition.
It is another example of how Trump is insisting that his initiatives to beautify the White House and the city also serve a defensive purpose. Trump has been calling the new White House ballroom a “military complex” and arguing it is necessary for national security purposes.
— AP
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