Trump Rejects AI Slowdown Amid China Rivalry in Global Tech Race
President Donald Trump has rejected calls from AI executives to slow down model development, arguing that any pause would give China an advantage in the AI race. This stance was echoed by House Speaker Mike Johnson and former White House AI adviser David Sacks.
The debate over AI safety has become a contest between those who prioritize caution and those who see it as a matter of national security. Trump met with Senator Bernie Sanders on September 24 to discuss AI, with the senator pushing for a full pause in development.
Chief executives at Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI have urged an AI slowdown, but there is no federal rule that obliges them to do so. Sacks told them to stop asking permission, arguing that their caution is also commercial, as they would be liable for any damaging cyberattacks.
David Sacks stated, 'China is very unlikely to join a global agreement, and that has to be taken into account.' Meanwhile, China's President Xi Jinping has called for a consensus-based global AI governance framework at the BRICS summit in New Delhi.