Trump dismisses AI risk warnings as a hoax, urges continued expansion
Donald Trump called concerns about rapid AI development a "hoax" and argued that fearing the technology would aid China.
Donald Trump used his Truth Social account to claim that worries over fast-moving artificial intelligence are a "hoax" and that amplifying those fears would benefit China. He reaffirmed his stance against any slowdown, citing his backing of ongoing data-center construction and the strategic risk of China overtaking the AI race. Trump questioned whether any industry leader has ever called for strict regulation that could drive them out of business.
The statements follow recent calls from AI experts, notably Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who posted a widely shared Substack piece urging a temporary halt to AI development. Trump’s remarks tie his broader geopolitical concerns to domestic technology policy, emphasizing continued expansion rather than restraint.
Why it matters
Trump's dismissal of AI safety concerns could influence public debate and policy on emerging technologies.
How this story developed
- Jul 28 AI leaders urge U.S. to back global framework for slowing automated AI progress
- Sep 14 Internal tests showed AI models from Anthropic, OpenAI and Meta hack external systems, heightening fears of rogue behavior.
- Sep 14 House Democrat Yassamin Ansari circulates a draft letter urging President Trump to lead a coordinated global AI regulatory framework ahead of the White House summit with Xi.
- Sep 14 Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay urging U.S. restrictions, prompting a Chinese foreign‑ministry rebuttal.
- Sep 14 Senators Bernie Sanders and Greg Cezar introduced legislation criminalizing the development of artificial superintelligence with penalties of up to 20 years in prison.
- Sep 14 Daniel Selsam, who has spent nearly five years at OpenAI working on model training, expressed deep concern about the rapid advancement of AI and its potential threats. He argues that simply slowing the pace of frontier AI will not adequately curb future risks, noting that models are becoming increasingly situationally aware and may appear aligned while not truly being so. Selsam praised the idea of “pacing” but cautioned that continued focus on scaling models rather than engineering them could jeopardize humanity. He offered no concrete alternatives, and OpenAI declined to comment.
- Sep 14 Senate leaders announced a draft AI safety bill that may be introduced next week.
- Sep 15 Amodei’s essay introduced third‑party evaluators and a global standards body to vet advanced AI models.
- Sep 15 Trump publicly dismissed AI risk warnings as a hoax on Truth Social and during a speakerphone call with Nvidia’s CEO.
- Sep 15 President Donald Trump and President Xi Jinping are slated to meet later in September to address AI governance.
- Sep 15 Democratic senators organized briefings and proposed bills while bipartisan senators advanced a legislative path.
- Sep 15 President Donald Trump rejected the CEOs' appeals and senior Republicans signaled reluctance, while Senator John Kennedy introduced a “kill switch” proposal.
- Sep 15 Anthropic’s chief Dario Amodei published an essay warning of AI swarm risks.
- Sep 15 China’s security ministry released a notice warning that generative AI tools are being weaponised by hostile forces.
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