AI Leaders Are Calling for a Slowdown. Trump’s Team Says It’s on Them

Top AI executives are advocating for a more deliberate approach to the rapid development of artificial intelligence. In a recent essay, Anthropic's chief executive Dario Amodei urged the US government to regulate the technology and slow its pace of advancement. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, and Elon Musk, who owns Grok, endorsed the essay, joining Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella in calling for a more measured approach to AI development.

However, David Sacks, a co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, argued that slowing down development is a matter of responsibility, not an excuse to break antitrust laws or form monopolies. Sacks also pointed out that China is unlikely to join a global agreement on AI regulation. The US government has largely resisted calls to slow down AI development, fearing that it would cede its technological lead to China, which it views as a significant economic and national security threat.

House Speaker Mike Johnson warned that rushing to pass emergency AI regulations could result in the US losing the AI race to China. In response to the growing concerns, major AI companies have pledged to take voluntary steps to ensure the safety and responsible use of their technologies. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman committed to allowing third-party evaluators access to their firms to monitor for safety issues, though these measures may come with significant costs.