President Donald Trump shrugged off concerns that Artificial Intelligence (AI) could expand beyond human control, arguing that the rising technology may create a massive economic opportunity for the United States.
When asked about recent safety incidents involving tech companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI, Trump maintained that he was unconcerned.
“I don’t worry about it,” Trump said. “You know, It’s a huge industry. It’s really the industrial revolution — maybe bigger. … And we’re leading, and we’re building tremendous, you know, trillions of dollars’ worth of places. And why should we give that up?”
Trump argued that any security or safety issues stemming from AI should be resolved by the technology companies that created them. He added that, if required, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) would step in to enforce compliance.
“If something is bad, they have to fix it. And if they don’t fix it, that’s why you have the Department of Justice,” he said. “You don’t give up $1 trillion or more — 2 or 3 or $4 trillion industry — because you think something like that, we will straighten it out if and when a problem occurs.”
Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry released a statement on Saturday noting that it “respects” Trump’s decision to rebrand artificial intelligence as “super intelligence,” after he announced the change at the UN General Assembly last week.
Over the past week, Trump has repeatedly argued that “super intelligence” is a more fitting descriptor, claiming the word “artificial” makes the technology sound “fake.”
However, Chinese officials have avoided using the term in official government communications, despite Trump stating that Chinese President Xi Jinping favored the phrasing.
President Trump’s comments come amid growing concern from leading researchers and officials that AI is advancing faster than humanity can manage. However, Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed that the DOJ intends to use existing criminal statutes to target misuse rather than serving as a proactive regulatory body, stating that “we’re prosecutors, not regulators” and maintaining that current laws are sufficient to handle compliance.
