Trump Rejects AI Slowdown Calls, Citing Competition With China

President Donald Trump has pushed back against calls for AI Slowdown, dismissing warnings about catastrophic risks and arguing that restrictions could benefit China.

In a September 14 social media post, Trump called predictions of AI destroying humanity a “hoax” and described opposition to AI and data centres as a “SICK conspiracy”, the Associated Press reported. He also criticised Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who has urged stronger safeguards.

What AI Leaders Are Asking For

Amodei’s proposal includes independent evaluators inside AI labs, shared safety standards and international coordination to give researchers time to manage increasingly powerful systems.

Sam Altman backed outside evaluators with employee-level access at OpenAI, while Elon Musk endorsed Amodei’s warning, according to Reuters.

Washington Opposes a Pause

House Speaker Mike Johnson reinforced Trump’s position on September 15, saying a development moratorium would threaten America’s lead over China.

However, Johnson supported independent audits and greater transparency. He said leading AI executives would be invited to the White House within a week to discuss safeguards, Reuters reported.

A government-backed AI pause faces strong political resistance. The planned White House meeting could show whether companies and officials can agree on practical safety checks while development continues.