This morning, while sitting at McDonald’s at Markville Mall with my sausage, egg and cheese breakfast and a cup of coffee ☕, I was thinking about the recent meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Why would an 80+ grandpa be thinking about international politics while eating breakfast?
Because AI was one of the subjects discussed.
And AI is becoming too important for any of us to ignore.
The Xi–Trump meeting was closely watched around the world. What caught my attention was not only the political discussion, but also the presence of some of the biggest names in American technology and business at the White House state dinner, including leaders connected with OpenAI, Google, Nvidia, Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Tesla and other major companies.
To me, that sends an interesting message.
AI is no longer just a technology story. It is becoming an economic story, a business story and a global story.
Competition will continue
Let's be realistic.
China and the United States are competing fiercely in AI. Both want strong AI companies, advanced chips, computing power, data centres and talented people.
That competition is not going away.
But something else caught my attention.
Xi said China and the United States have strong AI capabilities and that, although they compete, they also have reasons to cooperate. He called for continued AI dialogue, discussion of risks and benefits, prevention of misuse and keeping AI under human control. Trump also said the two countries should maintain dialogue and strengthen cooperation on AI.
That is significant.
It suggests that the future of AI may not be simply:
China vs. America.
It could become:
China + America competing, cooperating and learning to coexist.
What could happen next?
I don't have a crystal ball. But I can see several areas where cooperation could become increasingly important.
AI safety is one.
Imagine two very powerful AI systems developing rapidly in different countries. If something goes seriously wrong, having a communication channel between the governments could be extremely valuable.
In fact, the two countries are moving toward an AI communication channel for serious incidents.
Business is another.
American technology companies want access to global markets. Chinese companies are also developing rapidly and want international opportunities.
At the same time, both countries want to protect their most sensitive technologies.
So I expect competition and cooperation to exist side by side.
“合作共容”
I like the Chinese expression we discussed this morning:
合作共容 — cooperation and coexistence.
It doesn't mean everybody agrees with everybody.
It means we learn to work together where we can while managing our differences.
Xi described the broader relationship as one in which cooperation is the mainstay, competition is kept within limits, differences are managed and peace remains possible.
That philosophy could be relevant to AI too.
What does this mean for ordinary people?
For someone like me who started using AI seriously in my later years, I don't really care which country “wins” AI.
I care about what AI can do for people.
Can it help an 80-year-old learn something new?
Can it help seniors communicate, translate, write, create and stay connected?
Can it help doctors, scientists, engineers and teachers?
Can we develop powerful AI without losing human control?
Those questions matter more to me than national scorekeeping.
The next few years could be extraordinary.
AI may become much more capable, while China and the United States continue competing for technological leadership. But if they can also communicate, cooperate where possible and prevent competition from becoming confrontation, the benefits could extend far beyond the two countries.
So here is my simple thought from a McDonald's table at Markville:
The future of AI doesn't have to be “winner takes all.”
Perhaps it can be competition with cooperation, innovation with responsibility, and progress with coexistence.
As an 80+ learner, I am happy to watch—and keep learning.
☕🤖🌎
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