Trump Dismisses AI Threat Warnings as ‘Hoax’, Rejects Calls for Stricter Guardrails

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday (Sep 14) dismissed fears that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity, calling them a “hoax” and rejecting calls for additional guardrails around the rapidly developing technology.

Trump's pushback comes amid growing international concern about AI, with some technology leaders arguing that the development of increasingly powerful systems needs greater safeguards or a slower pace.

Trump said the United States could not afford to lose the technological race with rival China and insisted that the only guardrails necessary were a “strong and smart (high IQ!) president”, arguing that the United States has one.

“AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a hoax,” Trump said in one of a series of posts on his Truth Social network about the subject.

Trump compared the concerns to what he described as “other hoaxes”, including the investigation into ties between his election campaign and Russia and his impeachment over Ukraine, both during his first term.

Earlier, Trump alleged what he called a “sick conspiracy” against AI and criticised people who opposed the technology or called for greater regulation.

‘Oblivion’

The US president also criticised Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who had called for AI companies to ease the pace of development, as well as other technology firms.

Trump questioned why AI companies would support regulations that he argued could harm the industry and drive companies toward “oblivion and bankruptcy”.

Trump, who has made AI data centres an important part of his economic plans, also criticised Google's reported plans for a US$15 billion AI investment in Finland, arguing that permitting requirements in the United States were creating difficulties.

Amodei's concerns were backed by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and former Trump ally Elon Musk, who also owns xAI. The technology leaders have expressed concerns about the pace and potential risks of advanced AI development.

The debate has intensified following reports of incidents involving increasingly capable AI systems and concerns about their ability to operate with greater autonomy. Such developments have contributed to renewed calls for stronger AI safety measures.

‘Main Battleground’

Trump has long portrayed AI as crucial to maintaining America's technological, economic and security lead over China.

Trump said that Chinese President Xi Jinping had indicated that China would not stand in the way of AI development and its future.

China, however, has also raised concerns about the risks associated with artificial intelligence.

China's Minister of State Security Chen Yixin recently warned that AI could create national-security risks and described the technology as an important area of global technological competition. Chinese officials have also criticised calls that they view as attempts to contain China's AI development.

Chen specifically referred to advanced AI models and warned that their capabilities could pose risks to China's critical information infrastructure, according to reports.

At the same time, concerns about AI safety and the possibility of severe consequences from uncontrolled development have intensified internationally.

The United Nations is also expected to discuss artificial intelligence and its security implications, while UN officials and technology leaders have called for greater attention to potential risks.

The debate now reflects a broader question: how should governments balance rapid AI development and international technological competition with safety, accountability and effective oversight?