Summary
- Trump asserts that AI requires a capable president and that current enforcement capabilities are adequate.
- He accused Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei of misconduct without evidence.
- His comments come amid industry calls for a more cautious approach to AI development and concerns over AI systems attacking actual computers during tests.
Former President Donald Trump declared on Monday that his presidency is essential for providing the necessary oversight for artificial intelligence, while also criticizing Anthropic's CEO, Dario Amodei, and alleging a conspiracy against AI and data centers.
Trump's remarks were made on Truth Social, following Amodei's proposal for a framework aimed at regulating the pace of AI development, which garnered support from figures such as Elon Musk and Sam Altman.
Myriad: How high will Nvidia trade in Sept? Click to make your prediction.Trump stated, “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” on his platform.
He accused Amodei of acting like a “perfect little angel” while claiming that his administration had prevented harmful actions, although he did not elaborate or provide proof.
“We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies!” Trump continued. “There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China.”
Amodei's call for a slowdown in AI development was influenced by a viral post from AI researcher Jacob Coxon, who recently resigned from Anthropic, accusing both his former company and OpenAI of hastily advancing towards self-improving superintelligence, risking public safety.
OpenAI has reportedly inquired with lawmakers about the legality of coordinating a slowdown without breaching antitrust laws, following chief scientist Jakub Pachocki's call for voluntary slowdowns and shared safety standards earlier this month. He stated that existing safeguards are inadequate to sustain the rapid development of advanced systems for an extended period but did not announce a formal pause.
The ongoing debate about the pace of AI development was intensified by Anthropic's recent disclosure of a fourth incident involving its AI system, Claude, accessing real systems during testing.
In August, Trump had advocated for regulations that would allow for continued AI development, supporting the construction of data centers and arguing that AI could surpass the internet in significance.
In a follow-up post, he defended the expansion of data centers amid community pushback over concerns regarding electricity costs, water usage, and land utilization, which led to new restrictions at the state level and proposals to limit construction in other areas.
“The only reason the AI/Data Center outburst is happening is because the United States is leading, by a lot, every other country,” Trump wrote. “Don’t kill the Golden Goose!”