Trump and Mike Johnson have pushed back against calls from leading artificial intelligence executives to slow down development, arguing that the industry is overreacting and that a pause could allow China to overtake the United States.
The disagreement follows an open letter published by Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei, who said it was time to “pace the frontier” and slow AI development. His proposal drew public support from OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Elon Musk, both of whom voiced their agreement on X. Alphabet’s Demis Hassabis also offered tentative backing for the idea.
Trump Frames AI as a Race to Win
President Donald Trump made clear he sees the situation in competitive terms with China. “Look, we’re leading China in AI … and, frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins,” he said.
His comments reflect a broader concern within the administration that constraints on development could erode the current position of the United States. Rather than treating the executives’ warnings as a signal to slow progress, Trump indicated a preference for maintaining momentum.
Johnson Warns of National Security Threat
House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed those sentiments during an appearance on CNN, telling Jake Tapper that rushing to place restrictions on AI development could amount to a “national security threat.” He urged people not to panic over the pace of the technology.
Johnson also cautioned against hasty legislative action. “If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try and regulate AI, we will lose the race to China,” he said.
The exchange highlights a growing divide between parts of the AI industry and political leaders in Washington. While several prominent executives have signalled a willingness to slow the frontier of development, the response from Trump and Johnson positions the competition with China as the overriding priority.
The comments come as debate continues over whether and how AI development should be regulated, with industry figures and lawmakers taking notably different views on the risks of moving too quickly versus too slowly.
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