President Donald Trump has dismissed urgent calls from prominent tech executives to pause or regulate the rapid development of artificial intelligence, warning that imposing restrictions would risk handing a critical advantage to China.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday during a visit to his golf resort in Doonbeg, Ireland, Trump rejected concerns raised by AI pioneers who warned that model capabilities are outpacing safety measures.
“We’re leading China in AI, we’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way,” Trump said. “Whoever wins AI wins.”
Industry Calls for a Pause
The President’s comments follow a joint push from major AI industry leaders—including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and xAI founder Elon Musk—who endorsed slowing the frontier of AI model development. Amodei highlighted the risks of rapid acceleration without proper oversight, while Altman urged Washington to explore safety cooperation and testing standards with Beijing.
Addressing those concerns, Trump acknowledged that authorities could put “guardrails” in place, but attributed broader warnings about runaway AI to unidentified “negative forces”.
“I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up, and they’re bringing up things that won’t happen,” Trump added. On his return flight to Washington later Sunday, Trump clarified that he was not downplaying safety concerns, maintaining that AI will ultimately produce “more good than bad — by a lot.”
White House & Political Pushback
Trump’s stance aligns with key administration officials and congressional allies. White House tech advisor David Sacks challenged AI companies on social media, arguing that if executives want to slow development, they have the power to do so voluntarily without government intervention. House Speaker Mike Johnson similarly warned that emergency federal regulations would harm American innovation and benefit China.
However, the administration’s hands-off regulatory approach is drawing sharp criticism from congressional Democrats, who plan to make AI oversight a central issue ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett noted that White House cyber and technology policy officials are scheduled to meet this week to discuss next steps regarding AI safety frameworks.
