Trump brushes aside warnings that AI could lead to human extinction

Trump rejected concerns that AI could threaten humanity, saying his priority is keeping the US ahead of China in the race to develop the technology

By Jeff Mason

 

President Donald Trump brushed aside warnings from artificial intelligence researchers that the technology is becoming too hard to control and could kill all humans, saying his paramount interest is maintaining an edge over China. 

 

Asked by reporters Thursday upon departing Dallas if he has any concerns about AI leading to human extinction, Trump said, “No, I don’t have any.” 

 

“I have concerns that if we don’t win AI, we’re going to be put in a very bad position,” the president said. “We are leading China right now by a pretty good period. I would say a year, which is, you know, considered a lot.”

 

 

AI safety concerns were thrust into the center of the national conversation this week when a researcher resigned from Anthropic PBC and called on others to rethink their work, saying that the company and its main rival OpenAI are acting irresponsibly with technology that poses an existential threat to humans. 

 

Jacob Coxon, who said he had worked at both Anthropic and OpenAI over the past three years, posted on social media that the companies were pushing “self-improving” AI models that could run amok.

 

“They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” Coxon wrote on X. “Do not underestimate the power of this technology. These will soon be superhuman systems that can hack anything, revolutionize any field overnight, and acquire real power and resources.”

 

Coxon said that the teams “building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade.” 

 

In response, Evan Hubinger, a current Anthropic employee, said he concurred. “I personally think it is >10% within the next decade,” he posted on X.

 

Some AI executives have acknowledged the concern. OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman told employees this week that the company is considering slowing development of cutting-edge AI models and hoped other companies would do the same, according to people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss private remarks.