WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump rejected the idea of creating an international body to oversee artificial intelligence during a speech Tuesday to the United Nations General Assembly, arguing that global regulation could slow U.S. innovation and give China an advantage. The remarks came one day before Chinese President Xi Jinping was scheduled to visit the White House, where artificial intelligence was expected to be among the issues discussed. Trump said the United States is far ahead of China in AI development and intends to preserve that lead. “The United States rejects any attempt to construct a globalist scheme to control” artificial intelligence, Trump said. Trump also dismissed concerns about the technology’s potentially disruptive or dangerous effects as a “hoax.” He said regulation could stifle growth in a field he compared with the Industrial Revolution, while adding that the Justice Department would help ensure the technology is handled carefully. “We’re leading now over China by a lot and everyone else and we’re going to keep it that way,” Trump said. “I’m not going to stifle growth of anything that’s going to be bigger than the industrial revolution.” The president used the speech to promote a new name for artificial intelligence, suggesting that U.S. government documents — and eventually documents worldwide — should use “super intelligence” instead. He argued that the technology is not “fake” and said the revised term would better reflect its capabilities. Trump’s position contrasts with a declaration adopted Monday by 22 nations during meetings connected to the U.N. General Assembly. The countries said AI must remain under human direction, oversight and control and raised the possibility of establishing a global supervisory system. Finnish President Alexander Stubb, one of the declaration’s organizers, said safeguards would serve the interests of both the United States and China. The competing approaches reflect a growing international debate over how to balance rapid AI development with accountability, public safety and democratic oversight. The disagreement could become more consequential as governments establish rules for increasingly powerful AI systems. A globally coordinated framework could set common expectations for companies and governments, while the Trump administration has emphasized reducing barriers to U.S. technology firms and preventing China from gaining a strategic edge.