Trump and Mike Johnson believe the AI industry is exaggerating its concerns.

Yesterday, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, shared an extensive open letter advocating for a more measured approach to AI development, suggesting it’s time to “pace the frontier.” This call for caution found support from notable figures like Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk, who both expressed their agreement on X. Even Demis Hassabis from Alphabet showed some tentative backing for Amodei’s stance.

In contrast, Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson believe that the AI leaders are overreacting. They worry that a slowdown could allow China to surpass the US in the AI competition. Trump emphasized, “Look, we’re leading China in AI … and, frankly, I want to keep it that way, because whoever wins AI, wins.” Johnson reinforced this view during an appearance on CNN, warning that hastily imposed restrictions on AI could pose a “national security threat.” He cautioned against panic, stating, “If Congress just races in and does some sort of emergency session to try and regulate AI, we will lose the race to China.”