Speaking from his golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, on Sunday, President Donald Trump dismissed recent warnings from the technology sector urging a slowdown in artificial intelligence development. While acknowledging the possibility of implementing safety measures, Trump insisted that the United States must maintain its technological edge over China.
“We’re leading China in AI, we’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins,” Trump told reporters. He characterized the alarms raised by industry leaders as exaggerated claims from “negative forces” and affirmed that the administration is open to guardrails but not to halting progress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed these sentiments during an appearance on CNN’s State of the Union, cautioning against any legislative moratorium on the technology. Johnson argued that an emergency congressional session aimed at regulating AI would cede ground to Beijing. “If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try to regulate AI, we will lose the race to China,” Johnson said, calling for tech companies to take the lead on safety rather than government intervention.
The political remarks come in response to a Saturday essay by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who called for governments and companies to pace the advancement of AI capabilities. Amodei warned that humans risk losing control of AI systems and highlighted dangers related to cyberattacks and bioterrorism. He proposed international cooperation and the embedding of third-party evaluators to track safety incidents, stating that Anthropic would unilaterally adopt such measures.
Prominent tech figures Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman publicly supported Amodei’s concerns via social media. Altman also revealed to Fortune Magazine that OpenAI would delay its initial public offering until at least 2027 due to safety considerations, noting that company officials have discussed pausing certain tests.
David Sacks, co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, responded sharply to the tech leaders. Writing on X, Sacks told them to proceed with their safety plans without seeking outside permission. However, he suggested their motivations might not be entirely altruistic, citing potential product-liability exposure if their systems were used to facilitate damaging cyberattacks.
Trump calling safety warnings exaggerated claims feels like a bold spin. Hope they know what they’re risking.
Is anyone actually worried about safety, or is this purely about keeping a lead over China?