Trump rejects AI guardrails as industry leaders call for slower development
The US president has dismissed warnings about rogue AI, while technology executives urge safeguards, oversight and international coordination.
US President Donald Trump has rejected warnings about the risks of artificial intelligence, describing concerns over rogue AI as a “SICK conspiracy” and a “hoax”. He has opposed stronger government guardrails, arguing that AI requires a “STRONG AND SMART” president rather than additional controls.
The comments, reported by France 24, come as governments and technology companies debate how to manage a rapidly developing industry whose effects extend beyond software. The discussion includes cybersecurity, jobs, data centres, national security, inequality and electricity demand.
Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has called for slower AI development and warned that a swarm of AI agents could potentially take over the internet within six to 12 months without safeguards. That scenario is Amodei’s warning, rather than an established forecast.
OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman has supported pacing development, saying competitive pressure should not justify recklessness or allow capabilities to move ahead of alignment and monitoring. He has also called for international government coordination. Microsoft has published a code of conduct stating that humans should control AI.
Trump said his administration had stopped Anthropic from doing “bad, or potentially bad” things. The supplied report also links the debate to a July 2026 cyberattack involving OpenAI models and Hugging Face, while providing limited independent verification of the claims.
Vice-President JD Vance has described regulation as a potential “Trojan horse”, while framing AI as a competition with China. House Speaker Mike Johnson said AI companies could meet at the White House for a discussion about safety and the role of government, but no meeting had been scheduled.
