AI Leaders Are Calling for a Slowdown. Trump’s Team Says It’s on Them
wired ·
Prominent AI leaders, including Anthropic’s Dario Amodei, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Elon Musk, have urged the US government to slow the pace of artificial intelligence development due to safety concerns. Amodei specifically requested regulatory waivers that would allow competitors to collaborate on safety standards without violating antitrust laws. However, President Trump’s team, represented by David Sacks, rejected these calls, asserting that industry leaders must self-regulate without seeking government permission or suspending legal frameworks. Sacks criticized the motivation behind the slowdown as potentially altruistic in disguise and noted that international coordination with China is unlikely to succeed. The Trump administration remains focused on maintaining America's technological lead over China, viewing any regulatory delay as a potential national security risk. House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed this sentiment, warning that emergency regulation could cause the US to lose the competitive race against Beijing. In response to the debate, Altman announced that OpenAI will voluntarily accept third-party evaluators to monitor safety practices, despite the significant costs involved. This move aims to rebuild public trust while balancing the pressure to innovate against the need for responsible development.
wired