China put “World” in the name of its new artificial intelligence organization. It left out the United States. On July 16, 29 countries signed an agreement in Shanghai establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization, with its headquarters in China.

Less than seven weeks later, President Donald Trump’s administration supplied the beginnings of an answer. On Sept. 2, innovation ministers from the Group of 20 — including representatives from China, the European Union, India, Japan, South Korea, Britain, and other major economies — issued a consensus statement on emerging technologies. They agreed on pro-innovation policy, workforce development, intellectual property, standards, and investment in the industrial supply chains that make AI possible.