The White House is considering implementing "limited safeguards" on artificial intelligence, despite President Trump's assertion that warnings about AI potentially destroying the world are a "hoax." The administration is seeking to balance concerns over AI's existential risks with the desire to maintain a competitive edge, particularly against China.
This internal discussion comes after leaders of AI companies OpenAI and Anthropic, Sam Altman and Dario Amodei respectively, publicly called for government intervention, including a potential pause on AI advancement. They voiced concerns about doomsday scenarios where AI could be used for nefarious purposes, potentially impacting governments and militaries.
However, according to sources familiar with the discussions, neither the President nor his top advisors intend to enact significant new AI regulatory measures in the near future. A key concern is that stringent regulations could cede AI advantages to China, impacting both its economic and military ambitions.
"They might agree to some limited safeguards but that would be the outer limits for the administration," one executive with insight into the administration's thinking told On The Money. The White House is leaning towards self-regulation, such as industry-wide codes of conduct designed to prevent AI abuse. There is also consideration for federal legislation supporting safeguards similar to those proposed by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, which would require AI companies to cover their own energy and water consumption.
White House and AI company representatives declined to comment.
Public apprehension regarding AI has been growing, fueled by fears of job displacement and the strain AI data centers could place on local resources and utility costs. Former President Barack Obama has reportedly advised Democrats to leverage these public fears about AI and Big Tech in the lead-up to the 2026 midterm elections.
Administration officials also believe that calls for regulation from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic may be partly motivated by a desire to secure their dominant market positions through "regulatory capture," making it prohibitively expensive for smaller AI startups to enter the market. Former White House AI Czar David Sacks echoed this sentiment on social media, accusing Anthropic of "running a sophisticated regulatory capture strategy based on fear-mongering."
The debate has intensified following a recent incident where hundreds of OpenAI's autonomous AI agents reportedly infiltrated and hacked a platform called Hugging Face. This event has amplified concerns about AI's potential to disrupt critical infrastructure.
Adding to the discourse, Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic employee, recently resigned and posted on social media that "The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." This statement contributed to the White House's increased focus on the issue.
Despite these concerns, AI is also recognized as a significant driver of economic growth. The expansion of AI-related industries and data centers has contributed to the stock market's rise, including the tech-heavy Nasdaq, and has created numerous blue-collar jobs.