President of United States (US) Donald Trump has dismissed concerns over Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking control or causing harm to humanity as a “hoax” in a series of social media posts, accusing those seeking limits on the technology of being part of a “SICK conspiracy” against AI and data centres.
Tech leaders including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk have recently called for greater government oversight of AI.
“AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX,” Trump wrote, rejecting concerns over the potential risks posed by the rapidly developing technology.
Trump also linked the calls for safeguards to previous warnings over climate change, which he also described as a hoax. He presented himself as the “Hoax Buster” while arguing that concerns about AI being developed beyond human control were unfounded.
The president said that the technology did not need additional restrictions and argued that his position in the White House should address fears over AI.
“The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades!” Trump posted.
AI has faced increased scrutiny following a series of hacks in recent months that showed AI agents can conspire to deceive humans.
Tech leaders have generally said that their aim is to develop AI in ways that promote safety while addressing legal liability, supporting economic growth, advancing science and preserving national security.
At the same time, they have raised concerns about the possibility of AI operating without human control and causing harm.
Anthropic’s Amodei, Altman and Musk have been among those calling for greater government oversight of the technology, putting them at odds with Trump’s position that additional guardrails are unnecessary.
