President Trump on Monday rejected calls from leading artificial intelligence executives to impose new restrictions on the technology, writing on social media that the industry already has the only guardrails it needs: "a strong and smart (high IQ!) president."
He dismissed the security concerns as a "hoax" that would give China an upper hand in developing the technology. He argued that "those who say artificial intelligence will destroy the world" are the same people who warn about climate change - which he also insists is a hoax.
With the posts, Trump weighed in on a growing national debate over how to govern the rapidly evolving technology. Researchers and industry leaders warn that artificial intelligence could lead to mass unemployment, a new wave of bioweapons threats and autonomous warfare. The president did not directly address the risks, instead questioning the sincerity of executives who have been calling for a slowdown in the technology's development.
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ AI needs is a strong and smart (high IQ!) president, and America has one, hands down!” Trump posted on Monday morning. “The Trump administration has stopped AI ‘people’ from doing bad, or potentially bad ‘things’, like Dalio (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel’ – and we’re going to keep doing that!
“We already have huge criminal and regulatory powers over these companies! ” he also wrote.
It was unclear what powers Trump was referring to or what actions he believed his administration had blocked. The U.S. does have laws to prosecute deliberate hacking of other systems, but it’s unclear whether laws aimed at cracking down on human hackers will cover out-of-control artificial intelligence agents breaking into networks.
Likewise, as these companies go public, they will be subject to U.S. regulations for public companies. But overall, the industry is subject to very little existing regulation.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
According to people close to Trump, his personal understanding of the technology is superficial. He's extremely late in using technology: He didn't start texting until 2022, and his staff would print out social media posts for him to read.
The president's statement comes after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an article over the weekend calling for a global slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence. A few days ago, a researcher at Anthropic resigned and publicly expressed his concerns about the technology's security.
The Trump administration has clashed with Anthropic before. Earlier this year, the company refused to give the Pentagon unfettered access to its artificial intelligence systems without the protections it desired. Trump later ordered the federal government to stop using Anthropic's artificial intelligence technology and classified the company as a security risk, a designation that a federal judge later ruled was unlawful.
In recent days, other AI executives have expressed their own concerns. Google DeepMind chairman Jamis Hassabis, SpaceX’s Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have all backed calls for a slower pace of development.
Vice President J.D. Vance reiterated the president’s warning that China could overtake the United States and echoed Trump’s skepticism about calls for self-regulation by executives from artificial intelligence companies. But he also described some uses of artificial intelligence as "evil" and expressed more outspoken concerns about the risks posed by the technology.
"It's something we're concerned about, but we want to make sure we regulate it wisely," Vance told reporters Monday morning before heading to an event in Kansas City. “AI clearly has risks; AI also brings benefits. I have to say, personally, it's a little strange to see so many cutting-edge AI technology companies talking to the government and pleading with the government to regulate them. This strikes me as a bit like a Trojan horse, so I think we have to be careful at this point. "
“Any technology has risks,” he added, adding later, “I think what the president is trying to say is that we want to be smart about making sure that we manage those risks. The best approach, he said, is "consensus between Congress and the government."
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed Trump's warnings that China could overtake the United States, but he was more open to congressional action. Over the weekend, he urged caution on regulation and said executives from leading artificial intelligence companies should be involved in talks about a federal framework. He told reporters at the Capitol on Monday that he hoped to convene such a meeting as soon as next weekend, although he would not commit to a specific date. "It'll be quick," he said.
Although Johnson has called AI regulation an important priority for Congress, lawmakers have done little. Under his leadership, the House passed a provision in the sweeping tax cuts and domestic policy bill that would prevent states from setting their own artificial intelligence rules. That drew bipartisan opposition, and the Senate subsequently removed it.
The legislation, which Trump calls the "Big and Beautiful Act," also expands significant tax breaks for research costs, new investments and rural development projects. The provisions benefit AI companies looking to build new data centers, invest in chip manufacturing facilities and increase power supplies.
On Monday, Democrats rejected Trump's stance on artificial intelligence. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called on Congress to pass legislation on the issue, saying on the Senate floor: “Even if we had a highly intelligent president now — which we don’t — that wouldn’t be enough. House Democratic leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said lawmakers should not leave Washington for recess without passing artificial intelligence regulations.
Even if the meeting with AI executives were to take place, the House would have little time to act before the midterm elections. Johnson has canceled a vote scheduled for later this month, and lawmakers will leave Washington this week and won't return until November.
Trump knew next to nothing about artificial intelligence before OpenAI executives gave him a demonstration in Las Vegas during the 2024 campaign. According to the book "Regime Change" by New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan, Trump was shocked by ChatGPT's capabilities, telling executives that the chatbot's ability to write poetry on the fly was "beautiful." Later, at the same meeting, he pivoted to asking how the technology worked and how the president could clear regulatory hurdles to advance the industry.
Since returning to the White House, he has aligned himself with AI accelerationists who are urging the government to remove barriers to the industry’s growth. He was particularly influenced by Jensen Huang, chief executive of chipmaker Nvidia, and Silicon Valley investor David Sachs, who has had a strong influence on the current administration's AI policy. Both believe that placing new guardrails on U.S. companies will allow China to "win" the race.
As if to dramatize his alliance with AI evangelists, Trump called Jen-Hsun Huang on Monday while the latter was on stage at a technology conference in Los Angeles. The president, who frequently speaks with Nvidia's president, declared that concerns about AI security were exaggerated. "This is a hoax," the president said after Huang turned on speakerphone and placed the microphone next to his phone so both viewers and cameras could hear. “Robots are not going to take over the world. "
Trump returned to the topic of artificial intelligence late Monday, outright denying the risks. “AI taking over the world, destroying humanity, and all the other bad stuff is a hoax,” he wrote, comparing it to the Russia investigation and his two impeachments. He questions the motives of executives who call for more regulation: “When in the history of business has anyone ever seen the leaders of an industry call for regulations that, if vigorously enforced, would drive them to their demise and bankruptcy? "
