Trump warns against slowing AI but he is not against guardrails : NPR
NPR Topics: Politics — 2026-09-13 17:32:00 — www.npr.org
Trump Downplays AI Risks, Calls Warnings “Exaggerated” and Blames “Negative Forces”
President Donald Trump on Sunday dismissed mounting concerns from technology leaders about the potential dangers of artificial intelligence, characterizing such warnings as overblown and attributing them to unnamed “negative forces.” Speaking to reporters at his Doonbeg golf resort in Ireland, Trump said, “The dire warnings about AI were exaggerated and that ‘negative forces’ are making claims about things that won’t happen.”
Trump asserted, “We’re leading China in AI, we’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins. And we can put guardrails, we can do this and that. But I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up.” He did not clarify who or what he meant by “negative forces.”
Contradicting Industry Warnings
Trump’s comments came as several prominent figures in the tech industry, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Elon Musk, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, have called for slowing the rapid development of AI due to risks such as loss of human control, cyberattacks, and bioterrorism. Amodei specifically warned that humans could lose control of advanced AI systems and advocated for international cooperation and independent oversight.
Despite these warnings, Trump downplayed the risks and suggested that concerns are being amplified by unspecified actors with questionable motives. This stance stands in contrast to the growing consensus among AI experts and industry leaders about the need for caution and robust safety measures.
Exaggeration and Lack of Specifics
Trump’s claim that the U.S. is “leading China in AI” and is “the most sophisticated country in the world” is a sweeping assertion that lacks supporting evidence in the excerpt. While the U.S. is a global leader in AI research and development, the competition with China is intense and complex, with both nations investing heavily in the technology.
Furthermore, Trump’s repeated references to “negative forces” raising concerns about AI are vague and unsubstantiated, offering no specifics about who these forces are or what their motivations might be. This pattern of making broad, unverified claims and dismissing expert warnings has been a hallmark of Trump’s approach to complex policy issues.
Conclusion
President Trump’s remarks in Ireland reflect his ongoing tendency to downplay expert concerns and cast doubt on the motives of those raising alarms about emerging threats. By labeling AI safety warnings as “exaggerated” and blaming unnamed “negative forces,” Trump continues a pattern of minimizing risks and sidestepping substantive debate. As the conversation around AI safety intensifies, Trump’s dismissive stance stands in sharp contrast to the caution urged by leading voices in the technology sector.
Source: https://www.npr.org/2026/09/13/nx-s1-5968078/trump-mike-johnson-ai-slowdown