Sacks Tells AI Firms to Guarantee Safety or Step Aside

David Sacks, a senior adviser to President Trump on technology issues, stated that artificial intelligence developers bear the primary responsibility for ensuring their products are secure. Speaking to CBS News, Sacks argued that current anxieties regarding AI’s potential to threaten humanity are exaggerated and often amplified by political motivations during election cycles.

“I think this is becoming a panic,” Sacks told senior business and technology correspondent Jo Ling Kent. He urged the public and policymakers to approach the subject rationally rather than succumbing to fear-mongering.

The comments arise amidst escalating warnings from within the tech industry. On September 8, former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon cautioned that companies like Anthropic and OpenAI are “gambling with our lives” by pursuing self-improving superintelligence. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also acknowledged “real dangers” and alleged that the industry has been dishonest about the risks associated with its technology.

However, Sacks, who co-chairs President Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, placed the burden of safety squarely on the companies themselves. “First and foremost, it is on them to make their products safe,” he said. He added that if developers cannot guarantee safety, they should “step aside for people who can do that,” rather than seeking government intervention.

Sacks challenged leaders like Amodei to demonstrate control over their creations. “Why are you acting like this is something you can’t control?” he asked. “If you can’t control it, then don’t do it.”

While some tech executives, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, have called for a slowdown in AI development due to fears of catastrophic harm, Sacks aligned with President Trump’s stance against stricter guardrails. Trump recently dismissed these calls, asserting that the industry is already sufficiently regulated.

Sacks warned that halting progress could jeopardize American competitiveness against China, which has been rapidly advancing its own AI capabilities. “If we just pause all development, they will race ahead. It’s pretty clear they’re not going to stop,” he said. Sacks, a venture capitalist who has invested in major firms like Airbnb and SpaceX, stepped down from his role as the president’s AI and cryptocurrency czar in May.