Donald Trump slams AI critics, says US to remain leader

New York [US], September 14: US President Donald Trump on Sunday likened critics of artificial intelligence to "very negative forces" bringing up scenarios that will not happen, and said he wanted to make sure that the US remains the industry leader. "We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins," Trump told reporters at his Ireland golf course, when asked if the AI industry should slow down or be more regulated.
"We could put guardrails. We can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of very negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up and they're bringing up things that won't happen." The public debate about AI has heated up in the US after two Anthropic researchers issued warnings that the rapidly progressing technology could lead to the extinction of the human race ?in the not-too-distant future. In his second term, Trump's administration has largely embraced AI firms. These AI leaders and other technology companies have also supported Trump's initiatives.
AI executives have poured money into the midterm campaign ahead of the November 3 election that will determine control of Congress. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's super PAC, America PAC, has already spent millions backing Republican candidates and is expected to play a major role in voter turnout efforts this fall. The Pentagon this year warned of risks from Anthropic's model.
On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlined a three-step framework intended to pace development and create more time to manage its risks.
The proposal immediately received endorsements from several other executives at major AI companies, including Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. In an interview that aired Sunday on the CBS program "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," Amodei said the competition between US and Chinese AI companies was the "toughest dilemma" in trying to establish a "speed limit" on the rate of AI development. "We shouldn't kid ourselves, because the incentives to pull ahead and the military advantage that you get from that are so large that the ability to check that the other side isn't cheating has to be ironclad," he said. "So I think that's going to be the work of years, and honestly, I don't know if it's possible." Jacob Coxon, one of the Anthropic researchers who resigned and then issued the warnings, pushed for the U.S. to work with other countries to ensure pace.
"I feel we need international coordination, or else we risk running the same race with China, which could be equally dangerous," Coxon said on NBC's Meet the Press.
President Donald Trump said on Sunday the United States can afford his promise to send $5,000 to every US adult should his Republican Party keep control of Congress in this year's elections. "I don't know but it's easy if the Republicans win.
$5,000 to all adults in the country and we can easily handle that because we're taking in so much money," Trump told reporters when asked if Congress would need to approve the payments, adding that trillions of dollars were coming into the country.
Trump unveiled the idea of $5,000 payouts during a speech at the Republican Party convention last week. Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Ireland, where he was attending a golf tournament at his club in Doonbeg, the president said the US government has the funds to pay for it.
But any such payment would need to be approved by Congress, House Speaker Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said on Sunday. "Of course, the devil's in the details. We have to figure all that out," Johnson told CNN's "State of the Union." Democratic politicians on Sunday morning talk shows panned the idea, with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries telling ABC's "This Week" that it is not a "serious proposal." US Senator Mallory McMorrow, citing the elimination of some Affordable Care Act subsidies, cast doubt on whether the promised $5,000 checks would be sent even if Republicans retain control of Congress.
"There was an ACA subsidy cancellation," McMorrow, a Michigan Democrat, said on CNN. "I think it was $1,000 we were supposed to get. So if you believe that you're going to get $5,000, I've got a bridge to sell you." U.S. Representative Mike Lawler, a New York Republican in a closely contested race, would not specifically commit to Trump's $5,000 dividend proposal on Sunday.
"I support putting money back in the pockets of hardworking Americans," he said on ABC's "This Week," citing tax cuts in the One Big Beautiful Bill that Republicans passed last year.
"But whether you call it a stimulus check or a dividend, the question is, how do you pay for it? That's my focus. We have a $4 trillion debt, and we have to be serious about tackling that." Lisa Gilbert, co-president of the consumer watchdog Public Citizen, earlier called the move an attempt to buy votes.
Source: Qatar Tribune