AI Enters U.S.-China Talks, Cybersecurity, and Layoff Decisions

AI was one of the central topics of their discussions. The president brought several U.S. AI executives, including Elon Musk and Nvidia’s Jensen Huang. The European Union has petitioned Anthropic for access to its cybersecurity model, Mythos. In the United States, a ransomware attack on the Canvas education platform affected millions of students and teachers.

Cisco announced layoffs and cited AI as a justification.

AI agents gained popularity at the start of the year.

Products such as Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex can perform tasks including coding, trading stocks, and generating documents. Nearly three-quarters of employed Americans think AI will decrease overall job opportunities, and 30 percent are concerned their own jobs could become obsolete.

A contract dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon in late February highlighted AI’s role in national security. In early April, Anthropic announced Mythos, a model that can find and exploit internet bugs. OpenAI released a similar model shortly afterward.

The Trump administration is considering testing or licensing powerful AI models before public release. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles posted on X that the administration aims to keep Americans safe from AI cyberattacks. Dozens of members of Congress have sent letters to the White House on AI regulation this month.

A spring poll showed AI rising in importance for Americans faster than any other issue. Seventy percent of Americans oppose construction of an AI data center in their community. Data centers have faced opposition, including a shooting at the home of an Indianapolis city councilman after he voted to approve one.