Trump Rejects AI Slowdown Calls, Emphasizing US Dominance Over China

US President Donald Trump has dismissed demands for his administration to restrict artificial intelligence development, expressing concern over potentially losing the US lead to China.

Speaking to journalists during a visit to Ireland on Sunday, Trump acknowledged the necessity for some regulatory measures, though he omitted specific details regarding future policies. Following his attendance at the Irish Open at his resort in Doonbeg, Trump stated that while guardrails could be implemented, certain negative forces were raising unwarranted alarms.

Emphasizing that the US currently leads China in AI development, Trump noted, "Frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins."

Trump's remarks followed a blog post published a day earlier by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who argued that the AI industry must decelerate capability advancements to establish proper safety guardrails. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk both publicly supported Amodei's position, noting that the topic has been a primary focus of discussion at OpenAI recently.

These warnings emerged in the wake of former Anthropic and OpenAI researcher Jacob Coxon's public resignation over fears that AI could surpass human control, creating significant impacts throughout Washington and the tech industry. In response to Coxon's resignation, US lawmakers—including Democratic Congressman Josh Gottheimer and Republican Congressman Mike Lawler—introduced a bipartisan House bill aimed at preventing AI from operating without human oversight.

AI safety concerns have evolved into a prominent election-cycle issue as numerous computing warehouses emerge across US towns, prompting worries about surging electricity bills and dwindling water supplies. Despite growing public unpopularity, Trump continues to back the construction of data centres.

Meanwhile, David Sacks, former White House AI czar and co-chairs of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, pushed back against warnings from tech leaders, asserting that the industry itself dictates development speeds and possesses the ability to regulate its own pace.