Miami
Trump downplayed tighter AI regulation and prioritized competition with China
The U.S. president said he does not want his country to lose its edge to China in artificial intelligence. While he acknowledged the need for some safeguards, he avoided specifying what measures he would support.
Donald Trump once again downplayed calls for stricter oversight of artificial intelligence development and said his main concern is that the United States not cede ground to China. During a weekend trip to Ireland, the president told reporters that while limits and safeguards can be established, some sectors are exaggerating the technology’s risks.
According to AP, Trump argued that leadership in artificial intelligence will be decisive in the global competition and stressed that he wants the United States to keep the lead over China. In that context, he said winning that race would also help address the dangers associated with technological progress.
The remarks came after Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, called for slowing the pace of AI development to give safety measures time to catch up. Elon Musk and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, also publicly aligned with that position.
According to AP, Xi Jinping is scheduled to travel to the United States later in September to meet with Trump, and artificial intelligence appears to be one of the likely topics on that agenda.
In Washington, the debate is also intensifying on the political front. Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, said meetings could take place this week with government officials linked to cybersecurity and science and technology to discuss next steps. Trump could also hear from members of Congress who have been warning about the speed of the sector’s development.
Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House of Representatives, agreed that some safety measures are needed to prevent AI from “running amok,” but warned that the United States should not give up its advantage over China because that would pose a national security risk. He also proposed bringing together the industry’s leading figures and said the issue is a priority for him and for Congress.
On the Democratic side, Hakeem Jeffries criticized the failure to move ahead now with measures to slow development and protect the public, while Barack Obama said last week that his party should make AI a campaign issue, focusing on safety, effects on children, and economic and labor impacts.
AP also reported the position of Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic employee, who called for international coordination and cooperation between the United States and China to moderate the pace of development. He warned that without such an understanding, both countries could become trapped in a race he considered dangerous.
Meanwhile, David Sacks, a tech founder and investor and co-chair of a White House advisory council on science and technology, criticized on social media the regulatory calls made by some industry leaders. According to AP, he said those now leading development have room to slow down on their own if they truly believe the process is moving too fast.
Sources
About this note. Written by El Notero with the assistance of artificial intelligence, based on what was published by the cited outlet. El Notero did not conduct its own reporting on this event.
