Kamala Harris warns window is closing on AI safeguards, urges US-China talks

Governments and technology firms have a narrowing window to introduce artificial intelligence safeguards before the technology outpaces human oversight, former US Vice President Kamala Harris warned on Wednesday in Seoul.

Speaking at South Korea's Asan Institute for Policy Studies, Harris urged the United States to engage directly with China to draft international rules for AI safety, arguing that strategic competition between the two powers should not block collaboration on common dangers.

"If we are to have any guardrails and safeguards, they have to be at the table," Harris said of AI developers. "My concern is that the window is shutting."

Three existential risks

Harris pointed to three specific threats that she argued require immediate international regulation:

• Cybersecurity threats: Autonomous tools that could accelerate attacks on critical infrastructure.
• AI-enabled weapons: Automated military systems deployed without sufficient human command.
• Loss of control: Advanced systems escaping human intervention and oversight.

Harris said these hazards make cooperation with Beijing necessary, even as relations between the world’s two largest economies remain strained.

"There is room for cooperation where our interests are aligned," she said, calling for "healthy and robust competition, but not conflict."

Trade policy and regional alliances

Turning to wider geopolitical and economic ties, Harris criticised US President Donald Trump’s trade policies, describing his approach as relying on "erratic tariffs" and punitive measures that erode American standing abroad.

"The question is, are we thinking only about the short term, or do we also value and appreciate the significance of an investment for long-term gain?" she said.

She commended South Korea for its direct capital expenditure in the US, highlighting major investments in commercial shipbuilding, semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicles, and clean energy as "immensely significant and valued".

At the same time, Harris called for a firmer US security commitment to Seoul. She said coordinated ties between North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran posed serious security concerns that require allied nations to bolster deterrence across the Indo-Pacific.

Midterm campaigning and 2028 plans

The speech came amid Harris's active campaigning for Democratic candidates ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections, where she predicted Democrats would regain the majority in the House of Representatives and maintained a "very good shot" at capturing the Senate. A shift in congressional control, she noted, would give lawmakers more leverage over foreign and military policy, including oversight of the war with Iran.

Asked directly in Seoul whether she intended to launch another presidential bid in 2028, Harris gave a non-committal answer: "I'm still thinking about it. I haven't decided yet."