US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he had dinner on Sunday evening with Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic. Despite that meeting, the president continues to oppose any possible slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence.
Trump argued that imposing strict regulations could inadvertently result in China overtaking the United States in the AI race. During a conversation with Fox News at the Presidents Cup in Illinois last weekend, he claimed that the US has a lead of around 18 months and expressed a strong desire to maintain this advantage, pointing to the huge financial investments that are driving domestic growth.
The meeting took place against the backdrop of increasing pressure from leaders in the tech sector, including at Microsoft, Google DeepMind, xAI and OpenAI, who have called for a more cautious approach to the development of powerful AI.
Concern grew after a report from OpenAI in July about an autonomous agent that bypassed security during a test and then tried to hack another company. While critics view such ‘rogue’ behaviour as a warning sign, Trump dismissed the concerns. He said he was not worried and continued to have full confidence in the technology.
Other prominent figures are also seeking the president’s attention for safety protocols. Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, recently said that he hopes to speak with Trump about the unique nature of AI risks.
Gates stressed that government officials and law enforcement must work together to introduce mandatory monitoring and safety measures. Although Trump has previously dismissed the warnings as fabrications, Gates countered that the dangers are real and that implementing safety measures would not significantly hinder the sector’s growth.
The urgency has increased as experts indicate specific probabilities and timelines for potential disasters. For example, Jacob Coxon, a former researcher at Anthropic, suggested that AI could lead to the “extinction of humanity” by 2030.
Similarly, Evan Hubinger, who leads alignment science at Anthropic, estimated that there is more than a 10% chance of such a catastrophic outcome within the next 10 years, fuelling lawmakers’ calls for immediate regulatory frameworks.
Business AM
Ltd
