Trump Says US Has Tools to Regulate AI, Calls Safety Concerns a 'Sick Conspiracy'

President Donald Trump said the United States already possesses the regulatory and criminal enforcement tools needed to oversee artificial intelligence companies, playing down safety warnings raised by industry leaders over the weekend.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump argued that the only guardrail AI requires is strong leadership, stating that a "strong and smart" president is what the technology needs and that the US has that in ample measure. He also claimed that China stands to gain from the doubts being cast on AI development.

"We already have tremendous criminal and regulatory power over these companies," Trump wrote, describing the pushback against AI and data centres as a "sick conspiracy" whose only beneficiary would be China.

The remarks follow growing public unease in the US about the potential harms of artificial intelligence. Two researchers at Anthropic warned last week that the rapidly advancing technology could lead to human extinction in the not-too-distant future.

On Saturday, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei outlined a three-step framework aimed at pacing development and creating more time to manage its risks. The proposal drew immediate support from several executives at major AI companies, including Elon Musk, who runs xAI, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.

Trump said the tools meant to keep AI safe had already been used against Amodei, asserting that his administration has stopped AI figures from doing bad or potentially bad things and would continue to do so. He characterised Amodei as now presenting himself as a "perfect little angel".

The president has resisted amplifying concerns about AI and has largely embraced AI firms during his second term.