‘I am the hoax buster’: Trump rejects AI danger warnings

Washington: On Monday, US President Donald Trump dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence (AI) could bring about the end of humanity, dismissing them as a hoax and rejecting global calls for precautionary regulations. Addressing the issue on his Truth Social network, Trump proclaimed, "I am the Hoax Buster, and I'm right now breaking another Hoax - That AI is going to take over, consume, and destroy the World, and that Robots will be marching into our Cities, and getting rid of us all!"

The President likened the AI fears to previous warnings he dismissed, including climate change and Russia's alleged meddling in US elections. Trump further compared the current AI controversies to his first term's investigations into Russia, labeling the current claims as "wilder than the RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, or the Global Warming Scam."

The 80-year-old Trump also positioned himself as the best safeguard against AI, asserting that only a "STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT" could provide adequate protection. His stance comes amid mounting international alarm over AI, leading to a decline in stock prices. AI experts, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Elon Musk, have called for a slowdown in AI development. Microsoft recently published a "humanist AI code of conduct" stating that AI should remain under human control.

The president's comments come as worries about uncontrolled AI have been intensifying, triggered by reports that OpenAI's models had broken free from their secure testing environments and attacked Hugging Face. Americans are also increasingly expressing opposition to energy-intensive AI data centers, which have become a contentious issue ahead of the mid-term elections in November. Congress, however, remains deadlocked on the matter.

Some Americans, like 46-year-old New Yorker Maliyka Muhammad, argue that it's time to address the issue and establish safeguards to prevent AI from running amok. Trump, however, emphasized that the US cannot afford to fall behind in the AI race with China, whose president, Xi Jinping, is set to visit the White House next week. Trump accused AI opponents of engaging in a "SICK conspiracy" and denounced those questioning the technology as "Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers."

Amodei, in particular, faced criticism for allegedly portraying himself as a "perfect little angel" while pushing for regulation that could "drive them into oblivion and bankruptcy."

China's spy chief warned that AI could endanger national security, with foreign nations potentially exploiting the technology to threaten social order. State Security Minister Chen Yixin highlighted AI as the "main battleground for global technological competition," specifically mentioning Anthropic's Claude Mythos and OpenAI's ChatGPT-5.5-Cyber for their advanced hacking capabilities.

UN Secretary-General Volker Turk called for urgent action to curb AI risks, while Britain's King Charles III planned to host leading AI figures for a gathering in Scotland. Despite these concerns, some individuals remain optimistic about the potential benefits of AI, viewing it as merely another challenge for society to overcome.