'Whoever Wins AI, Wins': Trump Rejects Tech Bosses' Call for an AI Slow Down
President Donald Trump rejected calls from prominent AI leaders to slow development, insisting the U.S. must maintain its lead over China. OpenAI's Sam Altman, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, and SpaceX's Elon Musk had urged a more cautious pace. They cited warnings about AI's potential existential threats. Trump emphasized that "whoever wins AI, wins," dismissing concerns as overblown.
David Sacks, a former Trump AI advisor, argues that AI companies seeking regulatory frameworks are holding the public hostage. He asserts they can simply choose not to build superintelligent AI. This stance directly counters Amodei's call for third-party evaluators and global rules.
For Asia, this U.S. political division reinforces the urgency for countries like South Korea and Japan to define their own AI safety and development policies. Both nations prioritize domestic innovation while balancing global competitiveness. The lack of a unified U.S. approach could push Asian regulators to act more independently on AI governance.
The thing to watch is whether China accelerates its own AI development in response to Trump's comments. Beijing could view this as an opportunity to close any perceived gap. The test for Asian chipmakers is whether they face increased pressure to supply both U.S. and Chinese AI ambitions, navigating complex export controls.
Related reading
6 stories
Anthropic CEO Amodei calls for AI slowdown
Anthropic's CEO previously called for an AI slowdown, a direct counterpoint to Trump's 'whoever wins AI, wins' stance.
Trump says 'very negative forces' raising exaggerated concerns over AI
Trump has previously dismissed 'very negative forces' raising exaggerated concerns over AI, echoing his current position.
China’s rocket boom turns Hainan into a space hub. Can launches fuel wider growth?
Anthropic merges Claude chat and Cowork in one interface
Threads’ new features let podcasters promote shows and reach listeners
