US President Donald Trump downplayed the growing alarm over risks from artificial intelligence after some of the industry’s leaders called for slowing the pace of development of the technology. Trump said, “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.”
Anthropic chief executive officer Dario Amodei issued a lengthy blog post calling on the industry to slow down and saying that the effort requires industry and global coordination. OpenAI chief Sam Altman and Elon Musk, who runs xAI, swiftly endorsed Amodei’s message.
Industry Calls for Slowing AI Development
In particular, Amodei said his company would implement new safety steps including the use of third-party evaluators, an idea that Altman also said he will follow. However, there are questions about how committed the AI leaders will be about moderating the pace of development of their most advanced – and most lucrative – models, particularly given the intense competition from Chinese rivals.
National Economic Council director Kevin Hassett said on Sunday that Amodei’s proposal for additional AI safeguards could serve as a model for the private sector, including by giving independent observers access to the models. Speaking on Fox News on Sunday, Hassett called AI safety a “solvable problem”.
Hassett said AI is advancing rapidly enough to potentially overcome existing cybersecurity defences, but companies are also developing new safeguards. He added that Trump administration officials Sean Cairncross and Michael Kratsios are also studying the issue.
Political Response to AI Concerns
Some Democrats have seized on the risks around AI as a big issue heading into the November midterms and the 2028 presidential election. Former US President Barack Obama told an audience at a private fundraiser last week that Democrats should make AI oversight a central issue in their campaigns.
Senator Chris Coons, a Democrat from Delaware who has helped introduce a bill to protect AI whistleblowers, said a lack of expertise in Congress risks hampering AI regulation as the Trump administration maintains a hands-off approach. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said on ABC’s This Week that House Democrats will meet as a caucus on Tuesday morning to discuss possible action on AI.
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Speaker Mike Johnson called for a partnership between the tech industry and government to find AI guardrails, saying his message to the companies is that they “have a corporate responsibility to make sure your products are safe”. Amodei said he thinks there is a role for government regulation when it comes to AI, and that regulation allows the public and its elected representatives to have a say.
Amodei acknowledged that it may be challenging to reach an agreement with China on slowing down AI development, saying that verification would need to be “ironclad” due to the military advantages of pulling ahead. He said, “Honestly, I don’t know if it’s possible. But we should try.”
Trump remains committed to his stance, saying, “They’re bringing up things that won’t happen, but whoever wins, with AI, wins.”
Amodei’s proposal has sparked a discussion about the need for AI regulation, with some arguing that it is essential to prevent potential risks associated with the technology. The artificial intelligence sector is expected to continue growing, with many companies investing in the development of AI technology.
David Sacks, Trump’s former AI czar, emphasized that the market already has mechanisms in place to punish models that behave in unpredictable or unauthorized ways, citing product-liability exposure as a key factor. This perspective suggests that government regulation may not be the only solution to ensuring AI safety, and that the industry can self-regulate to some extent.
International Cooperation and AI Regulation
The industry must also address the safety concerns and regulatory challenges associated with AI development, and work towards finding a balance between innovation and responsibility.