Robots are not going to take over the world; AI fear is a hoax: Donald Trump
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US President Donald Trump has dismissed warnings that artificial intelligence (AI) could pose an existential threat to humanity, calling such concerns a “hoax” and saying robots would not take over the world.
Trump made the remarks during a phone call with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles. Huang was on stage at the event when Trump called and put the president on speakerphone, according to video of the conversation shared by the All-In Podcast.
“I’m telling you, it’s all a hoax,” Trump said. “The data centers are great, and they make people wealthy, and they make states wealthy, and it’s the oil of the next 20–25 years.”
Trump also warned that opposition to the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure could play into the hands of his political opponents or China. “[Critics are] playing right into the hands of a lot of people that don’t want to see it happen,” Trump said. “That could be political people. It could also be China. And we’re not going to let that happen.”
Responding to concerns that increasingly advanced AI systems could eventually threaten humanity, Trump said: “The robots are not going to be taking over the world.”
AI safety concerns
Trump’s comments come amid growing debate among technology leaders and researchers over the risks posed by increasingly capable AI models.
Recently, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has warned that companies and governments need time to address what he described as serious risks associated with the development of increasingly powerful AI systems. He has called for a more measured approach to the development of advanced models and closer monitoring of their potential risks.
In an essay published on Saturday, Amodei said the continued development of AI was not in question, but argued that the risks accompanying increasingly capable systems were “serious”. He said companies and governments needed sufficient time to develop safeguards as AI technology advances.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has also backed a more measured approach to AI development, following Amodei’s call for companies and governments to slow the race towards increasingly powerful models.
Nadella’s position, however, is focused less on halting AI development and more on ensuring that safety, alignment and human oversight keep pace with the growing capabilities of AI systems.