WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday that technology executives who met with him at the White House have signed a self-regulatory agreement aimed at governing the rapid development of artificial intelligence. The accord, described by the president as a “constitution,” was presented as a voluntary commitment by the industry to police itself.
During a press briefing following the meeting, House Speaker Mike Johnson characterized the document as a “statement of principles” and “standards” that are voluntary for participating companies. Johnson noted that the agreement outlines expectations for robust internal controls and layers of both internal and external review to ensure oversight and transparency. However, he stopped short of announcing any immediate legislative enforcement actions, stating only that Congress would continue to guide the sector safely.
When asked if the pact was legally binding, Trump replied that it is “morally” binding. He also suggested the formation of a new oversight committee, potentially comprising around ten individuals from the attending tech leadership, to monitor the industry.
The gathering included prominent figures from across the tech sector, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Palantir’s Alex Karp and Shyam Sankar, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, and OpenAI’s Greg Brockman. Attendees also included members of Trump’s Cabinet and Speaker Johnson.
The meeting occurred against a backdrop of intensifying warnings from AI researchers and leaders about the potential dangers of the technology, with some calling for measures to slow its progression before it surpasses human capabilities. Despite these concerns, Trump reiterated his opposition to heavy-handed regulations, claiming they could “stifle” growth. Just last week at the United Nations General Assembly, he stated that the U.S. rejects global attempts to regulate AI.
Trump faced questioning from reporters regarding the lack of stringent guardrails in the voluntary document. When pressed on whether “love” for America was sufficient without more rigorous oversight, the president pointed to his head and said the CEOs are “the smartest people in the world,” adding, “No, it requires this.”
Zuckerberg defended the agreement, calling it “a start” and noting that companies would establish independent board reviews for auditor reports. A screenshot of the accord shared by Trump emphasized individual corporate responsibility to build public trust but acknowledged that the steps were not yet codified into law, leaving the door open for future regulation.
Speaker Johnson also addressed the political dimension of the AI safety debate. While previously calling for industry self-regulation, he stressed the importance of maintaining the U.S. competitive edge against China, warning against any moratorium on AI development. On Monday, Johnson dismissed fears regarding AI threats as a “Chinese psychological operation” and politically motivated drama driven by Democrats.
This was not the first recent interaction between Trump and tech leaders on the topic; Zuckerberg and other CEOs attended a state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping last week, and Amodei dined with the president over the weekend. ABC News has requested an official copy of the accord from the White House.
Self-regulation by the same people building the tech? Hard to trust that the watchdogs will actually bite when needed.
I appreciate the CEOs are taking some responsibility, but without enforceable laws, what happens if they break their promises?
The fact that no official copy has been released yet is quite telling. Transparency seems to be missing here.
Is it just me, or does this feel like putting a bandage on a complex problem? Voluntary measures seem insufficient.
Morally binding? I sure hope that carries as much weight as a legal contract when things go wrong.