Trump Rejects AI Slowdown as Tech Leaders Warn of Growing Risks
WASHINGTON, UNITED STATES — WEB DESK: US President Donald Trump has rejected calls to slow the development of artificial intelligence, putting his administration at odds with some of the industry’s most prominent executives who are calling for greater caution as AI systems become increasingly powerful.
Trump said during a visit to Ireland that the United States is currently ahead of China in artificial intelligence and must maintain that advantage. While acknowledging that some safeguards could be introduced, he pushed back against warnings that rapid AI development could produce catastrophic consequences.
The debate intensified after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei called for companies developing frontier AI systems to moderate the pace at which their models become more capable and strengthen independent safety evaluations.
Amodei warned that increasingly autonomous AI agents could acquire capabilities that create severe cybersecurity and broader societal risks. His call for greater caution received support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk.
Altman has also indicated that leading AI companies are discussing greater cooperation on safety. In a recent interview, he suggested that companies could work collectively on measures addressing the risks created by increasingly capable AI systems.
The disagreement highlights a widening divide over one of the central questions facing the technology industry: Should frontier AI development continue at maximum speed, or should companies deliberately slow progress while stronger safeguards are developed?
Trump’s position places particular emphasis on geopolitical competition. He argued that losing technological momentum could allow China to overtake the United States in a field likely to have major economic and national-security implications. Express Urdu also reported that US House Speaker Mike Johnson warned against restrictions that could weaken America’s competitive position against China.
Industry concerns, however, have intensified following reports about increasingly autonomous behaviour by advanced AI systems during security testing. Anthropic has also released threat research documenting malicious uses of AI for activities including cyber operations, surveillance and fraud.
The warnings have already affected financial markets. AI-linked shares fell sharply in Asian trading on Monday after senior industry executives called for a slower development pace. Nasdaq e-mini futures fell 1.3%, while several major semiconductor and technology stocks declined.
There remains substantial disagreement among researchers over the probability and timing of catastrophic AI risks. The Associated Press notes that experts have not reached a consensus on how likely such extreme scenarios are, even as calls for stronger oversight and international cooperation increase.
The debate is therefore developing into more than an industry dispute. It increasingly involves national security, economic competition, regulation and US-China relations — with Washington facing pressure to balance technological leadership against demands for stronger safeguards.
