Trump dismisses AI safety concerns as 'hoax' amid industry calls for guardrails

On Monday, President Trump took to social media to dismiss concerns about artificial intelligence safety as fabricated alarm, comparing warnings from industry leaders to what he called the "Global Warming Scam" and the "Russia hoax." His dismissal came as the debate over how to govern AI development has begun to fracture along ideological lines, with some of the technology's own architects now calling for mandatory safeguards that Trump sees as unnecessary restraint.

Jack Clark, one of seven founders of Anthropic, told the BBC that the industry may need to adopt a mandatory "kill switch"—a way to shut down AI systems if they become dangerous—that could be verified by independent third parties. Clark acknowledged that most major labs, including Anthropic, already have internal mechanisms to halt their systems, but suggested that lawmakers might need to formalize this requirement across the board. His comments reflected a broader shift among leading AI companies toward acknowledging risks that, weeks ago, many executives downplayed or avoided discussing publicly.

Trump's response was unambiguous. In a series of posts, he characterized concerns about AI safety as a conspiracy orchestrated by what he called the "Radical Left" and suggested that the only guardrails the technology needed were those provided by a "strong and smart" president. He also framed the safety debate as a geopolitical vulnerability, arguing that calls to slow AI development or impose regulations would only allow China to gain competitive advantage. "Whoever wins AI, wins," he wrote, positioning caution as capitulation.

The tension between Trump's stance and industry calls for oversight became sharper as major technology companies moved toward more cautious positions. Microsoft published guidance on what it termed "humanist AI" and said it had been limiting the scope of models it develops. The company's chief executive, Mustafa Suleyman, told CNBC that the decision to release this framework now was driven by the intensifying public debate. OpenAI's Sam Altman and Elon Musk of xAI both endorsed proposals for industry-wide deceleration and independent monitoring of AI development, though some observers questioned whether such calls served the companies' commercial interests as much as safety concerns.

The urgency underlying these industry statements became clearer in recent days. Jacob Coxon, a researcher who left Anthropic citing concerns that AI could lead to human extinction, posted publicly about his worries in a message that circulated widely. In response, Evan Hubinger, a scientist at Anthropic, stated that he believed the probability of AI causing human extinction within the next decade exceeded 10 percent. Dario Amodei, Anthropic's chief executive, called for the pace of AI development to slow and be subject to closer oversight, though he also stipulated that any regulatory action should be taken "without sacrificing commercial advantage."

The debate has begun to attract political attention across the spectrum. Steve Bannon, Trump's former chief strategist, and Senator Bernie Sanders, a progressive veteran, are both scheduled to speak at a "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington on Tuesday, an event aimed at defining what organizers call a "more human-centric path for AI development." Sanders told the BBC last week that immediate action was necessary to prevent "uncontrolled growth" of AI, invoking the possibility of existential risk to humanity. The convergence of such different political figures around shared concern about AI governance suggests the issue has moved beyond the technology sector into mainstream political discourse.

The market has already begun to register the uncertainty. On Monday, shares of some technology firms declined as investors assessed the potential impact of regulatory slowdowns on AI development timelines and profitability. Chinese state media, meanwhile, seized on the American debate as evidence of Washington's anxiety about China's progress in AI. Xin Qiang, a professor of American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times that American officials fear that if the US imposes restrictions on AI development, China could accelerate its own capabilities and close the gap. The geopolitical dimension Trump emphasized—that caution benefits rivals—has become a central argument in his rejection of safety-focused regulation.