Trump tells AI bosses to self-regulate

President opposes tighter curbs as concerns grow over powerful systems

WASHINGTON:

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday backed self-regulation rather than tighter government controls on artificial intelligence, as he hosted some of the world's most influential technology executives amid growing political pressure for stronger oversight of the rapidly developing industry.

The White House lunch brought together Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Nvidia chief Jensen Huang, along with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI President Greg Brockman.

The meeting came as concerns over AI development grow in Washington, with lawmakers facing pressure from voters worried about job losses, social disruption and the safety of increasingly autonomous systems. Those concerns intensified following a series of incidents involving AI agents.

Trump, advised by Huang and former AI czar David Sacks, has advocated rapid AI development to maintain the US lead over China and support an increasingly AI-driven economy. Trump said he planned to officially refer to the technology as "super intelligence" in official documents, arguing that it was not "artificial".

AI data centres have meanwhile become a political flashpoint, with communities raising concerns about electricity costs and pressure on water and land resources. Trump has dismissed opposition, saying China would welcome resistance to the facilities.

Major AI companies including Anthropic and OpenAI have themselves warned about risks from uncontrolled development, even as they continue advancing increasingly powerful systems. Anthropic has warned investors of potential existential risks to humanity, as it prepares for a possible initial public offering.

With midterm elections approaching in November, lawmakers from both parties have proposed legislation requiring greater disclosure and stronger safeguards. However, Congress is unlikely to pass comprehensive AI legislation before the vote.