US President Donald Trump has dismissed concerns that artificial intelligence could eventually pose an existential threat to humanity, saying his primary focus is ensuring that the United States maintains its lead over China in the rapidly developing technology.
Speaking to reporters in Dallas on Thursday as he departed the city, Trump was asked whether he was worried that AI could ultimately lead to human extinction.
“No, I don’t have any,” Trump replied.
Trump instead stressed the strategic importance of maintaining America’s advantage in AI. “I have concerns that if we don’t win AI, we’re going to be put in a very bad position,” he said.
According to Trump, the US is currently ahead of China in artificial intelligence development by what he described as a significant margin.
“We are leading China right now by a pretty good period. I would say a year, which is, you know, considered a lot,” the president said.
AI Safety Debate Intensifies
Trump’s comments come as concerns about the potential dangers of increasingly advanced AI systems have moved into the mainstream debate.
The issue gained renewed attention this week after Jacob Coxon, a researcher who said he had worked at both Anthropic and OpenAI during the past three years, resigned from Anthropic and publicly criticized the direction of AI development.
Coxon argued that leading AI companies are moving too quickly toward systems capable of improving themselves, warning that such technology could eventually become extremely difficult for humans to control.
“They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives,” Coxon wrote on X.
He warned that future AI systems could become vastly more capable than humans, potentially gaining the ability to hack systems, transform entire industries and acquire significant real-world resources and power.
Coxon also claimed that some researchers working on advanced AI genuinely believe the technology could eventually become capable of killing humanity by the end of this decade.
Anthropic Researcher Agrees With Extinction Risk
The concerns were echoed by Evan Hubinger, a current Anthropic employee, who responded to Coxon’s comments on X.
Hubinger said he personally estimated that there was a greater than 10% probability of AI causing catastrophic consequences for humanity within the next decade.
The comments highlight a growing disagreement within the AI industry over how quickly increasingly powerful systems should be developed and deployed.
OpenAI Considers Slowing AI Development
The concerns have also reached the leadership of major AI companies.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman reportedly told employees this week that the company is considering slowing the development of its most advanced AI models. According to people familiar with the private remarks, Altman also expressed hope that other AI companies would take similar steps.
The debate comes as the world’s major technology companies race to develop increasingly powerful AI systems, with the United States and China competing for technological and economic dominance.
For Trump, however, the strategic race remains the overriding concern. His comments indicate that maintaining America’s lead in AI is a higher priority than fears that the technology could eventually become an existential threat to humanity.
