Trump dismisses AI extinction fears as 'negative forces'

"We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins," Trump said when asked about regulating the industry. He added, "I think you have a lot of very negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up and they're bringing up things that won't happen."

Trump's comments come after a week of heightened concerns in the U.S. following warnings from two Anthropic researchers that rapidly progressing artificial intelligence could lead to the extinction of the human race. His administration has largely embraced AI firms, and these companies have supported his initiatives. However, the Pentagon had earlier warned of risks associated with Anthropic's model.

Following the researcher warnings, some AI chief executive officers are advocating for a slowdown in the advancement of AI models. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlined a three-step framework aimed at pacing development and allowing more time to manage its risks. Jacob Coxon, one of the Anthropic researchers who issued the warnings, urged the U.S. to collaborate with other countries to ensure a controlled pace of development, stating, "I feel we need international coordination, or else we risk running the same race with China, which could be equally dangerous."