Donald Trump has called fears about AI safety a “hoax,” rejecting calls for more guardrails on the fast-moving technology as he did in a series of posts on Monday. His remarks come after a co-founder of Anthropic warned that a “kill switch” for dangerous AI may need to be mandatory.
Jack Clark, one of Anthropic’s seven founders, told the BBC that society “might want to eventually pass rules around” a way to shut off AI software completely if it becomes too dangerous. He said most labs, including Anthropic, already have different ways to “pull the plug,” but that lawmakers may need to enforce having one.
Trump’s Posts on AI
In another post, Trump wrote: “There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!” Earlier on Monday, he posted that the only “guardrails” needed for AI were a “strong and smart” president.
Discussion has centered on the question of whether AI should be subject to greater oversight. Clark made his remarks following warnings about the dangers the technology could pose to humanity from several executives and staff members at leading AI companies.
On Monday, worries about AI growth prompted investors to sell off shares in certain tech companies, with traders assessing how a possible downturn in AI development might affect those firms.
The Kill Switch Debate
On Monday, Microsoft AI joined the wider industry conversation around public concern by publishing an outline document on what it calls “humanist AI.”, following a pattern of companies expressing worries about the models they are building. Clark’s push for a kill switch comes after this wave of discussion from across the sector.
Mustafa Suleyman, the firm’s chief executive, spoke with business news channel CNBC about the fresh guidance, saying it had been under development for months and was released now because of the present debate surrounding the technology.
Who Else Is Calling for Safeguards
Steve Bannon, the former chief strategist to President Donald Trump, and Senator Bernie Sanders, a long-serving progressive politician, will both address the same gathering in Washington on Tuesday. The event, known as the “Pro-Human Assembly”, brings together two prominent figures from opposing ends of US political life, who are advocating for a reassessment of artificial intelligence policy.
The event’s own webpage states that “aims to define a shared vision and articulate a better, more human-centric path for AI development.” told BBC’s Newsnight last week that “we have got to do something immediately to stop the uncontrolled growth of AI.”.
He said “You’ve got the existential threat of the possibility of humanity being wiped out,”.
The Chain of Warnings That Sparked the Debate
A post by Jacob Coxon, a researcher who departed Anthropic due to worries that AI could destroy humanity, sparked increased discussion. Following that, Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger weighed in, stating he believed the likelihood of AI causing human extinction “within the next decade” exceeded 10%.
The leader of Anthropic, Dario Amodei, has once again asked that the pace of AI development slow down and be watched more closely. The company has made such requests before. Some have raised doubts about why he is doing it.
Amodei also said that any action to rein in AI should be done “without sacrificing commercial advantage.” The bosses of two rival AI firms, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of xAI, have also said they agree with Amodei’s proposal for industry-wide deceleration and regulation, as well as independent monitoring of AI model development.
The International Context
According to Chinese state media, specialists have cautioned that “Washington’s growing anxiety over China’s rapid AI development appears to be increasingly distorting its policy priorities.”
“They know that China has become a strong competitor in AI, and worry that if the US slows down development or tightens regulation, China could catch up even faster,” Xin Qiang, a professor of American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times.
| Speaker | Role |
|---|---|
| Donald Trump | US President |
| Jack Clark | Anthropic co-founder |
| Bernie Sanders | Senator |
| Mustafa Suleyman | Microsoft AI chief executive |
On Tuesday, the Pro-Human Assembly will convene Bannon and Sanders, two individuals who hold starkly divergent positions.
Investors watched closely on Monday as tech firm shares fell, mulling how a possible slowdown in AI development might affect the market.
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