Trump Condemns Calls for AI Regulation and Data Center Scrutiny
President Donald Trump strongly opposed growing demands for tighter controls on artificial intelligence. During a post on Truth Social on Monday, Trump criticized those who warned that AI would destroy the world or that data centers posed risks to local neighborhoods. He compared these fears to earlier alarms regarding climate change, stating that the proponents of AI regulation are the same people who previously claimed the world would end due to climate change.
In a series of posts throughout the day, Trump repeatedly labeled the worries surrounding AI as a “hoax” and a “scam.” He specifically criticized the public opposition to data centers, suggesting that the pushback only occurred because the United States was leading other nations significantly in the field. Trump questioned whether any industry leader, in the history of business, would call for regulation that could potentially lead the industry into bankruptcy or oblivion.
The president’s defense of largely unrestricted AI growth came as major industry figures raised alarms about the risks associated with the rapidly developing technology.
Industry Leaders Advocate for Slowing AI Development
Leading up to Trump’s statements, several prominent figures advocated for a cautious pace in AI development. On Saturday, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, published a blog post titled “We Must Pace the Frontier,” arguing that development of AI models should slow down to “reduce the risk that something goes seriously wrong.”
These calls followed warnings from former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who resigned from his position and issued a warning that the technology could “kill us all by the end of the decade,” while also accusing both OpenAI and Anthropic of “gambling with our lives.”
Additionally, other technology CEOs, including OpenAI chief Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, stated over the weekend that they concurred with the call for a slowdown. According to a report on Monday, citing three sources familiar with the details, Altman reportedly met backstage with Trump at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on Thursday.
Geopolitical and Regulatory Context
The Trump administration has generally supported rapid growth within the industry and the development of controversial data centers in the U.S., aiming to secure a significant technological advantage over China. Trump emphasized this competitive edge, stating on Saturday, “We’re leading China in AI,” and adding, “And frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI wins.”
On Monday, Trump claimed that the leading AI companies were already sufficiently supervised, asserting, “We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies!” He alleged that a “SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers,” and that China was the only entity benefiting from this perceived conspiracy. He concluded by warning, “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE!”
The White House AI czar, David Sacks, also pushed back against heightened AI anxieties. Following Amodei’s warning, Sacks wrote on X that tech companies should “go ahead and pace the frontier” themselves. He cautioned, “Stop pretending the motivation to slow down is purely altruistic,” noting that companies face significant product-liability exposure if their products enable a damaging cyberattack. Sacks added that China was “very unlikely” to participate in a global agreement aimed at regulating the technology.
Congressional and Political Outlook
Congressional action to regulate AI appears highly improbable before the November 3 midterm elections. House members are scheduled to leave town on Thursday and remain in their districts until October. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., downplayed the need for new legislation to restrict AI development. Speaking to CNN’s “State of the Union,” Johnson cautioned that attempting to regulate AI through an emergency congressional session would jeopardize the race against China, which he described as a threat to all Americans. He advised, “We don’t need everybody to panic right now, we need to handle this new technology like we have others in the past, and make sure we’re doing everything we can responsibly to also not smother American innovation.”
