Trump backs AI: critics are “negative forces” and the US must stay ahead

The Zhitong Finance App learned that US President Trump told reporters at his Irish golf course on Sunday that critics of artificial intelligence are “very negative forces” and that they are proposing a scenario that will not happen. He stressed that the US is currently leading China in the field of AI and is the most advanced country in the world, and he hopes to maintain this position “because whoever wins AI will win.”

When asked if the AI industry should slow down or be subject to more regulation, Trump said that “guardrails” can be set up and measures taken, but he believes that many critics should not raise these concerns; “they are talking about things that won't happen.” This statement shows that Trump continues to resist concerns surrounding AI safety.

Recently, the US public debate on AI has heated up. Two Anthropic researchers have warned that rapidly advancing technology could lead to human extinction in the near future. The Pentagon also warned this year that the Anthropic model is risky. After the researchers issued a warning, some AI company CEOs began to push to slow down the model's progress. On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed a three-step framework aimed at controlling the pace of development and freeing up more time to manage risk. The proposal was immediately supported by executives from several major AI companies, including Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

However, in an interview with CBS “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Sunday, Amodei admitted that the competition between US and Chinese AI companies is the “most difficult dilemma” of setting a “speed limit” for AI development. He said that one should not deceive oneself, because leading incentives and military advantage are so great that the ability to verify that the other party is not cheating must be “as reliable as iron.” “I think it will take years of work and honestly I don't know if that's possible.”

Meanwhile, Trump's second-term administration generally embraced AI companies, and AI leaders and tech companies also supported Trump's initiative. As the November 3 midterm elections approach, AI executives have invested money into the campaign to influence control of Congress. SpaceX CEO Musk's Super Political Action Committee America PAC has spent millions of dollars supporting Republican candidates and is expected to play an important role in mobilizing votes this fall.

Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon also issued a warning after his resignation, calling for the US to cooperate with other countries to ensure the pace of development. On NBC's “Meet the Press,” he said, “We need international coordination, otherwise we may have the same competition as China, which is just as dangerous.”

Overall, Trump's tough rejection of AI regulation, the “speed limit” framework promoted by companies such as Anthropic, and the US-China AI competition and midterm election funding game are pushing AI policy to the center of the US financial and political agenda.