Trump and Mike Johnson criticize AI industry calls to slow development

Republican leaders Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized recent calls from AI executives to slow the pace of AI development, arguing that such a move could allow China to gain a strategic advantage. Trump stated that the U.S. is leading in AI and emphasized a desire to maintain that lead, asserting that "whoever wins AI, wins." Johnson, appearing on CNN, warned that hasty regulatory actions could pose a "national security threat" and cautioned against panic-driven policy responses.

The criticism follows an open letter by Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei advocating for a slowed pace of AI development to ensure safety and control. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk publicly supported Amodei’s proposal on X, and Alphabet CEO Demis Hassabis offered tentative support. The public split underscores differing perspectives on how to balance innovation, safety, and geopolitical competition in AI.