On Monday, President Trump criticized Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei for suggesting that AI companies should slow their development. Trump claimed that these safety concerns are part of a “conspiracy” that ultimately benefits China.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump reiterated his skepticism about safety warnings, stating: “The Trump Administration has stopped AI ‘people’ from doing bad, or potentially bad, ‘things,’ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel’ – and we will continue to do so!”
He emphasized that the administration holds significant regulatory power over these companies, alleging a “SICK conspiracy” against AI and data centers, attributing any potential benefit exclusively to China. Trump concluded with, “WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!”
Later that day, he followed up with another post, calling the idea that AI might pose an existential threat a “HOAX.” He questioned when in the history of business industry leaders had ever called for regulations that could lead to their own demise. “AI, and Data Centers, will be the Greatest Economic Development Engine in History,” he asserted.
Additionally, Trump commented on Google’s plans to build a significant facility in Finland, suggesting they should reconsider their stance due to permitting challenges in the U.S.
Public opinion on data centers and AI has been declining, particularly after Amodei released a detailed essay over the weekend encouraging major tech firms to slow down AI model development.
OpenAI’s Sam Altman and SpaceX’s Elon Musk supported Amodei’s three-part approach to add regulatory measures to the rapidly evolving technology, advocating for collaboration among global AI competitors.
This discussion gained further urgency after Jacob Coxon, a former AI researcher at Anthropic and OpenAI, resigned and posted a dire warning on X about AI potentially becoming a catastrophic threat by the end of the decade, which garnered over 171 million views.
However, the Trump administration has positioned itself as an ally to the AI sector, with an executive order from June promoting a more relaxed approach to AI regulation.
Since the beginning of Trump’s second term, investments in AI have been credited with bolstering the economy. The Federal Reserve has frequently referenced significant AI expenditures during meetings, especially as it prepares for a widely expected interest rate hike.
Amodei’s company has previously clashed with the Trump administration over AI safety concerns. The Department of War classified Anthropic as a supply-chain risk—typically a label given to foreign entities—after the company denied the Pentagon unrestricted access to its AI surveillance capabilities.
Meanwhile, Trump is preparing for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on September 24.
Amodei’s safety initiatives hinge on global collaboration among leading tech firms, facilitated by the U.S. government. Nonetheless, Chinese leaders have expressed reluctance to relinquish control over their AI initiatives.
On Monday, Guo Jiakun, a representative from China’s Foreign Ministry, stated that “fear mongering, confrontation, competition will just disrupt [the] process of global AI governance.”
In a recent editorial, the state-supported Global Times likened calls for China to restrict its AI progress to a “Cold War” strategy.
At a summit in New Delhi over the weekend, President Xi Jinping asserted that China aims to take the lead in promoting global AI collaboration among developing nations.
Amodei, in his essay, expressed skepticism about whether foreign competitors would agree to coordinate their AI development pace, citing the significant military advantages at stake. “I think that’s going to be very difficult… and honestly, I don’t know if it’s possible, but we should try,” he remarked in an interview with CBS News’ “Sunday Morning.”
