President Donald Trump has declared that fears surrounding artificial intelligence safety are a "hoax," directly opposing a growing chorus of industry executives, researchers and lawmakers who argue that mandatory guardrails — including third-party verified kill switches — are urgently needed for the fast-moving technology.
In a series of social media posts, Trump compared warnings about AI to what he called the "Global Warming Scam" and the "RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX," styling himself "the Hoax Buster." The only "guardrails" required, he wrote, are a "strong and smart" president. He also claimed a "SICK conspiracy" against AI and data centers benefits only China, adding: "WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!"
Industry leaders call for mandatory kill switches
The president's dismissal comes as Jack Clark, co-founder of AI firm Anthropic, told BBC that society "might want to eventually pass rules around" a mechanism to shut off AI software completely if it becomes too dangerous. Clark said most labs, including Anthropic, already have different ways to "pull the plug," but suggested lawmakers may need to enforce a standardized, third-party verifiable kill switch.
Clark's remarks followed a wave of warnings from executives and staff at leading AI companies about risks the technology could pose to humanity. Those concerns triggered a selloff in tech shares as investors weighed the impact of a potential slowdown in the multi-billion dollar AI development race.
Anthropic researcher cites extinction risk above 10%
The debate intensified after Jacob Coxon, a researcher who left Anthropic over concerns AI could wipe out humanity, saw his post go viral. In response, Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger said he believed the possibility of AI causing human extinction "within the next decade" was more than 10%. Chief executive Dario Amodei has called for the pace of development to slow and be more closely monitored, though he emphasized any action should come "without sacrificing commercial advantage."
Rival leaders Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of xAI have both signaled agreement with Amodei's proposal for industry-wide deceleration, regulation and independent monitoring of model development.
Microsoft publishes 'humanist AI' guidance
Microsoft AI this week released a document on what it terms "humanist AI," discussing limits on the models it develops. Chief executive Mustafa Suleyman told CNBC the guidance had been in the works for months and was published now due to the heightened public debate.
Political odd couple converges on regulation
In a striking sign of how the issue has scrambled traditional alliances, former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders are scheduled to appear together at the "Pro-Human Assembly" in Washington. The event aims to "define a shared vision and articulate a better, more human-centric path for AI development."
Sanders told BBC's Newsnight last week: "we have got to do something immediately to stop the uncontrolled growth of AI. You've got the existential threat of the possibility of humanity being wiped out."
UK urges balance; China accuses US of distortion
UK Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds struck a measured tone, telling BBC that people should "never be complacent" about AI's impact but warning against hyperbole. "Of course there are risks but, let's be frank, there are some tremendous upsides, whether it's public services, healthcare, the contribution to the economy," he said.
Chinese state media pushed back on Trump's framing. The Global Times quoted Xin Qiang, a professor of American Studies at Fudan University, saying Washington's "growing anxiety over China's rapid AI development appears to be increasingly distorting its policy priorities." He added: "They know that China has become a strong competitor in AI, and worry that if the US slows down development or tightens regulation, China could catch up even faster."
Why the artificial intelligence news matters now
The clash between the White House and the AI industry's own creators underscores a pivotal moment for artificial intelligence news and policy. With extinction-risk estimates from insiders exceeding 10%, and competing geopolitical narratives framing regulation as either existential protection or strategic surrender, the coming months will test whether voluntary lab safeguards can survive contact with political reality — or whether Congress and international bodies will impose the mandatory kill switches and monitoring regimes that researchers like Clark now say may be essential.