Trump doubles down on AI push, speaks to NVIDIA CEO; terms safety concerns 'hoax' as industry leaders unite amid risks

As top leaders from the artificial intelligence (AI) industry back Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei over his recent public acknowledgement of the risks associated with developing the technology at a rapid pace, US President Donald Trump, on the contrary, is mounting a strong defence of AI development.

On Monday, Trump called Jensen Huang, chipmaker NVIDIA's CEO, during a company all-hands meeting and offered a strong defence of AI development after Huang put the call on speakerphone.

Donald Trump backs AI development, calls safety concerns a 'hoax'

Trump told the NVIDIA chief that the US must defeat China in the race for AI innovation and development, and also termed concerns over AI safety a "hoax." He said, "The robots will not be taking over. The AI will not be taking over the rest of the world. The whole thing is a hoax." He further said that critics are "just playing right into the hands of a lot of people that don’t want to see it happen. That could be political people; that could also be China.”

He also praised data centres, calling them "great" and saying that they make people and states "wealthy." Trump added, "It’s the oil of the next 20, 25 years; it’s bigger than the internet and AI, you know, much more so." However, he did suggest that people will have to be a little careful and do things "prudently."

Trump also asked Huang whether they were on the same page regarding AI development, to which he replied, "We’re going to make sure that everybody wins in the AI race in America. Every industry, every company, every state, every people."

Trump's phone call with Huang to extend support for AI development comes amid industry leaders calling for action to slow down the pace of development.

Donald Trump defends AI development pace, slams Democrats

In a series of posts on Truth Social, the US president strongly defended AI development. In a post, he wrote, "The AI Hoax being perpetrated by the Radical Left Dumocrats is reminiscent of their Global Warming Scam of not so long ago, where everyone was going to die from extreme heat [sic]."

Slamming Democrats, Trump, in another post, wrote, "The claim that “AI is going to take over the World” is a Hoax, just like Global “Warming,” where everyone was going to be dead by now, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, or Impeachment Hoax #1, or Impeachment Hoax #2. These are all Radical Left Dumocrats, who never give up, but seldom win. Hopefully, the Voters have seen the light [sic]."

In a third, he said that those warning that AI could destroy the world and that data centres are harmful to neighbourhoods are the same people who had previously warned that “Climate Change” would lead to the world’s destruction. He called climate change a “HOAX” that failed to gain traction and accused the critics of now moving on to a new issue. Trump described them as “Revolutionaries” pursuing a “Bad and Evil Cause” and alleged that they would soon be found to be working for people who do not have the United States’ best interests in mind.

His full-throated defence came a day after he told reporters that while some "guardrails" were possible, Washington must retain its leadership in the area and not let Beijing take the lead.

Industry leaders warn of risks with rapid AI development

Last week proved to be one of the most turbulent times for the AI industry, as several top leaders acknowledged the risks associated with its fast-paced development. Anthropic CEO Amodei, in an essay, listed both risks and benefits of the evolving technology; he also proposed a three-step plan to slow down its development. Soon after, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman echoed similar sentiments and was later joined by SpaceX founder Elon Musk and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.

The remarks from industry leaders came after an Anthropic researcher quit last week and issued a dire warning that those developing the technology believe it "could kill us all."

The focus will now shift to NVIDIA’s stance on AI development and whether Huang will continue to align with Trump’s position on the pace of development and the need for greater safeguards.