WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Monday dismissed warnings that advanced artificial intelligence could pose catastrophic risks to humanity, calling the concerns a “hoax” and arguing that the only necessary safeguard is “a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT.”
The comments came after several industry figures, including leaders connected to Anthropic and other frontier labs, publicly urged slower development or stronger oversight. Stock prices of some AI-linked companies dipped as investors weighed the debate.
Trump’s position
In a series of posts, Trump compared AI safety alarms to past claims he labeled false, including climate change concerns and previous investigations. He warned that heavy regulation could push American companies overseas and hand an advantage to China. “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” he wrote.
Trump also took a live call during a tech summit, telling the audience the robots would not take over and that data centers create wealth for states and workers.
Anthropic founder Jack Clark: "How well do you fancy dealing with the risks of an AI 100x smarter than the smartest person on the planet? Your chance of surviving is pretty low." "If we don'''t take actions today, we are massively increasing the probability of out of control AIs."
— AI Safety Memes (@AISafetyMemes) September 16, 2026
Industry and congressional response
Some AI executives have argued that models are advancing faster than safety practices. Calls for third-party testing, kill switches, or slower scaling have circulated in recent days. On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from both parties have voiced concern, though major legislation remains unlikely before the midterms.
Progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders and conservative commentator Steve Bannon appeared together in recent events to demand stronger limits on what they call tech oligarchs, showing unusual cross-ideological pressure.
What comes next
The administration has so far resisted new statutory limits, preferring existing regulatory and criminal tools. Industry groups remain split between those seeking clarity and those fearing innovation-killing rules. For American workers and investors, the debate centers on jobs, energy demand from data centers, and long-term competitiveness.
Experts note that practical near-term issues—cybersecurity, deepfakes, and labor displacement—may shape policy more quickly than distant existential scenarios.
