U.S. President Donald Trump has dismissed growing concerns over artificial intelligence safety as a “hoax,” rejecting calls for stronger safeguards around the rapidly advancing technology.
His comments came after Jack Clark, co-founder of AI company Anthropic, told the BBC that the industry could eventually need mandatory “kill switches” that would allow powerful AI systems to be shut down if they became too dangerous.
Clark’s remarks followed a wave of warnings from executives and researchers at major AI companies about the possible risks posed by increasingly capable systems.
Those concerns also rattled technology stocks, as investors considered whether tighter regulation or slower development could affect the multibillion-dollar AI industry.
In a series of social media posts, Trump compared AI safety warnings to other issues he has previously described as political hoaxes.
He said the only guardrail AI needs is a “strong and smart” president and argued that slowing development would mainly benefit China.
“There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Trump wrote.
Chinese state media responded by arguing that U.S. concerns about AI are increasingly being shaped by competition with China.
Xin Qiang, a professor of American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that U.S. policymakers fear stricter regulation could allow China to narrow the gap in AI development.
Clark, one of Anthropic’s seven founders, said most major AI laboratories already have ways to shut down their systems, but suggested lawmakers could eventually require companies to maintain such mechanisms.
The debate has also spread to governments outside the U.S.
UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said policymakers should not become complacent about AI risks, while also warning against exaggerating them. He said artificial intelligence could deliver major benefits in areas including healthcare, public services and economic growth.
Microsoft AI has also entered the debate, publishing new guidance centered on what it calls “humanist AI.” Chief executive Mustafa Suleyman said the company had been developing the principles for months before releasing them during the current discussion about AI safety.
Calls for tighter oversight are also crossing political lines in the United States.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon and Senator Bernie Sanders are both scheduled to appear at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, an event focused on developing a more human-centered approach to artificial intelligence.
Sanders has separately called for immediate action to limit what he described as the uncontrolled expansion of AI, warning about potentially severe long-term risks.
The debate intensified after former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon publicly raised concerns that advanced AI could pose an existential threat to humanity.
Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger later said he believed the chance of AI causing human extinction within the next decade was greater than 10%.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has also called for AI development to proceed more slowly and under greater independent monitoring, while arguing that safeguards should be introduced without sacrificing commercial competitiveness.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and xAI founder Elon Musk have also expressed support for stronger industry-wide oversight, including slower development and independent monitoring of advanced AI models.
Trump, however, has made clear that his priority is maintaining America’s lead in the global AI race rather than slowing development in response to safety concerns.