‘We’re leading China’: Trump downplays AI fears as industry calls to backtrack, says 'whoever wins AI wins'

While acknowledging potential regulatory measures for AI, Donald Trump considers many concerns exaggerated. He emphasises the US's superior position in AI technology and the importance of maintaining that lead over China.

US President Donald Trump said there were several “very negative forces” raising concerns about artificial intelligence that he believes are unlikely to materialise, while stressing that Washington must retain its position as the global leader in AI.

Trump said the US currently has an advantage over China and noted that maintaining that lead was crucial. He was responding to questions from reporters about whether the AI sector should face tighter regulations or slow its development.

This comes after leaders of some of the world’s biggest artificial intelligence companies urging the industry to reconsider the speed at which its most advanced and profitable models are being developed, citing growing concerns about potential risks associated with the technology.

"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, according to Reuters.

Trump acknowledged that regulatory safeguards could be introduced but said he believed some of the warnings surrounding AI were overstated.

"We could put guardrails. We can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of very negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up and they're bringing up things that won't happen."

AI leaders call for slower development

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published a detailed blog post on Saturday outlining additional safety measures, including the use of third-party evaluators. He also called on other AI companies to back a broader effort to slow the pace of development.

Why Amodei wants AI development slowed

However, Amodei stressed that any effort to moderate AI development would need to take into account the competitive pressure within the industry.

Garvit Bhirani