Trump Calls Warnings About Artificial Intelligence Risks a “HOAX”, Alarming White House Officials

On Monday, President Donald Trump almost entirely dismissed calls from artificial intelligence industry leaders for more government regulation of their most advanced models, making clear that beating China in this technology race is a higher priority for him than addressing growing public concerns.

In a Truth Social post on Monday morning, Trump claimed there was a “sick conspiracy” to undermine artificial intelligence and that only his oversight was enough to prevent models from going out of control; in another afternoon post, he called the concerns a “hoax”. He wrote that the United States already has “extraordinary CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies!” and that “the only control artificial intelligence needs is a STRONG AND SMART PRESIDENT (with high IQ!)”. He singled out Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, accusing him of “now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel'”. He called artificial intelligence the country’s “golden goose”.

Even some White House officials say privately they are concerned about Trump’s apparent lack of concern for the risks of artificial intelligence. For four days in a row, the president has downplayed the need for new safety controls, raising alarm within the administration.

Vice President JD Vance questioned the motives of executives calling for more oversight, warning it could be a “Trojan horse”; however, speaking at Joint Base Andrews, he acknowledged that artificial intelligence poses real risks and said he hopes the White House and Congress will work together on safeguards.

White House officials said meetings with the administration’s experts on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are likely to be scheduled this week to discuss possible new regulations; House Speaker Mike Johnson said Sunday he hoped to call talks with Trump, lawmakers and AI company executives. U.S. officials also want to expand planned discussions on artificial intelligence with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, who visits Washington for a state visit next week.

Public skepticism toward artificial intelligence is growing, amid fears of job losses and the impact of AI data centers on communities; recent safety warnings have reinforced calls for new safeguards.

Source: CNN