Trump Administration Rejects AI Industry Calls for Slowdown

Administration pushes back on regulation requests

The Trump administration has firmly rejected calls from leading AI company executives for government-enabled industry coordination to slow artificial intelligence development. David Sacks, co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, told AI lab leaders they can implement slowdowns on their own without seeking regulatory permission or antitrust waivers.

The response came after Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay Saturday calling for government regulation and requesting antitrust law exemptions that would allow competing AI companies to establish safety standards together. The essay received endorsements from OpenAI's Sam Altman, Elon Musk, and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, according to WIRED, which first reported the developments.

"If the unreleased models are scary enough that you think you should slow down, I support your decision to be responsible," Sacks wrote on X. "But stop pretending you need anyone else's permission. Stop pretending antitrust law has to be suspended so you can form a cartel."

China competition drives policy stance

The administration's position reflects broader concerns about maintaining U.S. technological leadership over China. President Trump stated during a visit to Ireland that "whoever wins AI, wins," emphasizing his intention to preserve America's lead. House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed this view, warning that emergency AI regulation could hand the race to China.

Amodei had requested government assistance in establishing international coordination, including with the Chinese Communist Party. Sacks dismissed this as unrealistic, noting that "China is very unlikely to join a global agreement."

The pushback follows a week of intensified debate about AI safety risks. Former DeepMind researcher Rishub Jain told WIRED that "as AI becomes more capable, it poses more risks," reflecting growing concerns among researchers about the technology's rapid advancement.

Voluntary measures emerge

Despite the administration's stance, AI companies are moving forward with voluntary safety initiatives. Altman committed Sunday to Amodei's proposal for embedded third-party evaluators with employee-level access to examine company practices and products. Altman acknowledged these measures would carry "significant costs" but stated that "no amount of American competitive pressure should justify recklessness."

Why it matters

The administration's refusal to facilitate industry coordination represents a critical juncture in AI governance. Without regulatory frameworks or antitrust exemptions, companies face a coordination problem: individual slowdowns could disadvantage responsible actors while failing to address systemic risks. The stance also reveals how geopolitical competition is shaping domestic technology policy, potentially prioritizing speed over safety considerations that even industry leaders now acknowledge.

These details were first reported by WIRED.