Why Trump is all-in on AI despite the warnings
Why Trump is all-in on AI despite the warnings. With Trump's resistance, it is unlikely that Congress – despite promises of new hearings and proposed regulatory controls – will enact new legislation that Trump would sign into law.
What happened
Huang appeared to side with Trump as the president pushed back on tech CEOs' warnings about the risks of rapid AI advancement. One of Trump's top AI advisers, David Sacks, told the BBC's US partner CBS News on Monday that some of the existential warnings by insiders had been overblown. Figure caption, President Trump says 'negative forces' bringing up AI risks that won't happenByDan SalesPublished13 September 2026US President Donald Trump has downplayed risks posed by artificial intelligence following days of dire warnings by experts.
"Related topicsChinaArtificial intelligenceDonald TrumpMore on this storyAI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBCPublished2 days agoAnthropic boss Dario Amodei calls for AI development to slow downPublished3 days agoWhy some experts increasingly fear AI will take overPublished6 days agoDramatic insider warnings over AI fall flat with some in Silicon ValleyPublished2 days ago Figure caption, Why is Donald Trump so opposed to regulating AI? ByAnthony ZurcherNorth America correspondentPublished30 minutes agoAccording to Donald Trump, concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence technology – that "robots will be marching into our cities and getting rid of us all" – are a hoax.
The ranks of doubters have been growing in recent weeks, however, amidst anxiety over the disruptive nature of AI – if not worries about potentially civilisation-threatening danger – among some industry insiders and politicians, including from within Trump's own Republican Party.
The wider picture
OpenAI boss says world 'right to be afraid' but should trust AI firmsPublished2 hours agoAI regulation faces political deadlock as calls grow for Congress to actPublished1 day agoTrump says AI safety fears a 'hoax' as he rejects calls for greater safeguardsPublished1 day agoNone of that has deterred Trump, however, whose latest social media fusillade was only his latest effort to turn back growing AI scepticism through sheer force of will. "We think this could be a great technology, but we're not going to give these guys a carte blanche," former Trump adviser Steve Bannon said at a "pro-human" conference on the dangers of AI on Tuesday.
According to Trump, however, what's needed isn't debate or new policies, it's trust in his authority and judgement. "A desire for centralised presidential authority is a familiar theme for Trump in his second term in office. Unlike tariffs and immigration, which have been issues of interest for Trump for decades, the rise in artificial intelligence technology is a recent development. The 'hottest' economy and the driving force of AITrump regularly likes to tout America as the "hottest" country in the world.
Anything that threatens this growth, which Trump considers to be a hallmark of his presidency and a key to his political legacy, quickly draws his suspicion. Trump also sees the AI expansion as a large-scale industrial competition between the world's two largest economies, the US and China.
What has been reported
"We're leading China in AI," Trump said on Saturday, "and frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI wins. Of course, Trump – who touts partial US ownership of US Steel and the semiconductor manufacturer Intel, and has no qualms about picking winners and losers in the American economy – is hardly a traditional small-government conservative. Tech bosses vary in views – and their access to TrumpTrump's close ties to prominent tech moguls and AI entrepreneurs from the start of his second term may also help explain his AI evangelism.
"Elon Musk, despite a rocky relationship, has shaped the direction of this administration. Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, OpenAI's Sam Altman and former Apple head Tim Cook all had prominent seats at Trump's inauguration. These men, along with Anthropic head Dario Amodei, hold a range of views on the necessity of greater AI regulation, and have differing levels of access to, and influence on, Trump. In Amodei's case, his conflicts over the Pentagon's unrestricted use of Anthropic's AI models could have negatively affected Trump's evaluation of Amodei's calls for a slowdown in AI development.
On Tuesday, Republican Speaker of the House Mike Johnson appeared to back away from earlier openness to congressional action, instead echoing Trump "AI hoax" rhetoric.
What happens next
But Republicans are also wary of crossing Trump on an issue that has become a political touchstone for the president. The moment when AI warnings turn into a high-profile disaster, however, could be looming. Related topicsArtificial intelligenceDonald TrumpUS CongressUnited StatesMore on this storyAI staff 'genuinely frightened' for humanity's future, ex-Anthropic researcher tells BBCPublished2 days agoBBC AI correspondent answers: What is AI? Z. ai, Moonshot, MiniMax, Alibaba and Tencent have not made similar comments, and did not provide any statements when contacted by CNBC about the warnings from Silicon Valley.
Despite the rare display of industry unity, Nvidia's Jensen Huang pushed back by saying speed and safety can happen together, and said developers should act responsibly. Skip NavigationMarketsBusinessInvestingTechPolitics & PolicyVideoWatchlistInvesting ClubPROLivestreamMenuKey PointsNvidia CEO Jensen Huang is expected to attend President Donald Trump's state dinner next week for Chinese President Xi Jinping. Huang's planned attendance at the high-profile event is the latest sign of his alliance with Trump.
The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across bbc.co.uk, cnbc.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.