Trump Doubles Down on Deregulation, Ignores AI Dangers Before Cozying Up to Tech Billionaires
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President Donald Trump once again rejects any oversight of artificial intelligence, prioritizing corporate profits over public safety as he prepares to meet with tech CEOs and lawmakers. Industry leaders and researchers continue to raise alarms about the unchecked risks of AI.
President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that he will not "stifle" the growth of artificial intelligence, recklessly framing it as a development "bigger than the Industrial Revolution" and boasting about the United States' dominance. This announcement came during an event to unveil a new AI-powered federal website, just before a scheduled lunch with some of the wealthiest tech executives—Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Tesla founder Elon Musk, OpenAI co-founder Greg Brockman, Google chief Sundar Pichai, Nvidia head Jensen Huang—and political allies like House Speaker Mike Johnson and members of the Trump administration.
Trump revealed he has discussed AI policy with Chinese President Xi Jinping but flatly rejected any international cooperation or regulation, cynically claiming that collaboration would only benefit China. Instead of pursuing global safety standards, Trump is content to let corporate interests dictate the pace and direction of AI development, only promising that law enforcement agencies like the DOJ and FBI would step in if companies go too far down a "dark and dangerous path."
At a separate event, Zuckerberg echoed the corporate line, insisting that each lab can be trusted to train models safely and dismissing calls for collective action or a slowdown. House Speaker Johnson, parroting industry talking points, said the upcoming discussion would focus on so-called corporate responsibility and the government's limited role, warning that any moratorium could threaten U.S. competitiveness against China.
This meeting comes amid urgent warnings from AI researchers about the existential threats posed by unregulated AI and a heated debate in Congress over the need for robust regulation. The White House, apparently uninterested in public accountability, did not respond to requests for comment.