Trump Rejects Calls for Tougher AI Regulation

President Donald Trump pushed back against growing calls for stricter AI regulation on Monday, arguing that the United States already has sufficient safeguards to police artificial intelligence companies and prevent harmful uses of the technology.

Trump’s comments came as AI safety concerns intensified following warnings from prominent industry researchers and executives. Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon recently cited potential catastrophic risks from advanced AI, while shares of AI-related companies fell globally on Monday amid calls to slow development.

Writing on Truth Social, Trump argued that strong presidential leadership was the main safeguard AI needed. He also claimed that doubts surrounding U.S. artificial intelligence development could benefit China. Trump is scheduled to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping next week in Washington.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump is expected to meet AI executives this week or early next week to discuss corporate responsibility, safety measures and the government’s potential role. Vice President JD Vance also expressed skepticism about leading AI companies asking Washington for greater regulation.

The debate intensified after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei proposed mandatory independent audits for advanced “frontier” AI models. His framework, designed to slow AI development and provide more time to address potential risks, received support from xAI CEO Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Meanwhile, three U.S. senators are reportedly developing legislation that would require AI companies to demonstrate reasonable precautions against potential harm.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang took a different approach, saying companies concerned about losing control of their technology could voluntarily pause or slow development. During the All-In Summit in Los Angeles, Huang spoke with Trump by phone as the president praised data centers as major economic assets for the coming decades.

Trump has generally favored rapid AI expansion during his second term and described industry demands for regulation as a “hoax.”

His administration is also locked in a dispute with Anthropic after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth restricted the company from certain military contracts over limits Anthropic placed on using Claude AI models for domestic surveillance and autonomous weapons. Anthropic challenged the action in court, securing a favorable ruling in one lawsuit on August 27.