Trump says AI safety fears a ‘hoax’ as he rejects calls for greater safeguards

US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns about the safety of artificial intelligence (AI) as a “hoax”, criticising calls for stronger safeguards around the rapidly developing technology.

His remarks come amid growing debate over the potential risks of advanced AI, following comments by Anthropic co-founder Jack Clark that the industry may eventually need mandatory, independently verified systems to shut down dangerous AI software.

Clark’s proposal follows warnings from executives and staff at leading AI companies about the technology’s possible consequences for humanity. The concerns also contributed to a sell-off in some technology shares on Monday, as investors considered the impact of a potential slowdown in AI development.

In a series of social media posts on Monday, Trump compared warnings about AI to what he called the “Global Warming Scam”, which he blamed on the “Radical Left Dumocrats”.

He also described himself as “the Hoax Buster” and likened AI safety concerns to what he called the “RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX”.

In another post, Trump wrote: “There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centres, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS!”

Earlier on Monday, he said the only “guardrails” AI needed were a “strong and smart” president.

Clark, one of Anthropic’s seven founders, told the BBC that society might eventually need rules requiring AI developers to maintain a way to shut down software if it becomes too dangerous.

He said most AI laboratories, including Anthropic, already had different ways to “pull the plug”, but suggested lawmakers could consider making such measures mandatory.

Clark’s comments add to a growing discussion among technology executives and political figures about how to manage the risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.

Chinese state media reported on Monday that experts had warned that Washington’s concern about China’s rapid AI development could be affecting its policy priorities.

“They know that China has become a strong competitor in AI and worry that if the US slows down development or tightens regulation, China could catch up even faster,” Xin Qiang, a professor of American Studies at Fudan University, told the Global Times.

Microsoft AI also entered the debate on Monday, publishing an outline of what it described as “humanist AI” and discussing limits on the models it is developing.

The company’s chief executive, Mustafa Suleyman, told CNBC that the guidance had been in development for months and was being published amid the heightened public debate over AI.

The debate is also bringing together figures from opposing sides of US politics.

Former Trump chief strategist Steve Bannon and progressive Senator Bernie Sanders are scheduled to speak at the “Pro-Human Assembly” in Washington on Tuesday.

According to the event’s website, the gathering aims to establish a shared vision for a more human-centred approach to AI development.

Sanders told the BBC’s Newsnight last week that immediate action was needed to address what he called the uncontrolled growth of AI. He also warned of the possibility of an existential threat to humanity.

Concerns about AI risks intensified in recent days after a post by Jacob Coxon, a researcher who left Anthropic over fears that AI could wipe out humanity, gained widespread attention.

In response, Anthropic scientist Evan Hubinger said he believed the possibility of AI causing human extinction within the next decade was more than 10%.

Over the weekend, Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei called for AI development to slow and be more closely monitored. He said efforts to rein in the technology should be pursued “without sacrificing commercial advantage”.

The leaders of rival AI companies, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and xAI’s Elon Musk, have also expressed support for industry-wide deceleration and regulation, alongside independent monitoring of AI model development.

The competing views underscore a widening debate over how governments and technology companies should balance AI innovation, economic competition and the potential risks of increasingly powerful systems.