Trump dismisses AI extinction warnings as 'hoax' while tech leaders urge slowdown

President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed warnings that artificial intelligence could threaten humanity, calling critics "very negative forces" and labeling extinction scenarios a "hoax" and "scam" in social media posts. Speaking to reporters at his Doonbeg golf course in Ireland, Trump said the United States leads China in AI and he intends to keep it that way because "whoever wins AI wins."

The president's remarks followed a week of escalating alarms from industry leaders. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned last week, writing that OpenAI and Anthropic are "gambling with our lives." An Anthropic alignment lead stated AI has a greater than 10% chance of "killing all humans." CEO Dario Amodei then called for slowing frontier model development, a proposal endorsed by OpenAI's Sam Altman and xAI's Elon Musk.

“Whoever wins AI wins.”

A bipartisan coalition responded Tuesday in Washington. Senator Bernie Sanders, Representative Chip Roy, former strategist Steve Bannon, and Representative Greg Casar convened a "Pro-Human Assembly" organized by the Future of Life Institute. Bannon urged both parties to "rise above" partisanship and check AI companies, saying "we're not going to be supplicants anymore."

Democratic lawmakers are pressing for action. House Democrats met privately Tuesday; Sanders hosts an expert briefing Wednesday. Former President Barack Obama has urged White House aspirants to develop a "very clear plan" on AI. Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson has deferred to the White House, and Vice President JD Vance expressed caution about regulation.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is scheduled to visit the United States later in September, with AI expected on the agenda. The debate unfolds as major tech firms build massive data centers across small towns, raising local concerns over water, electricity, and farmland loss.