Trump and Johnson Reject Calls to Slow Down AI Development

The artificial intelligence sector is witnessing a notable divide between the vision of major tech company leaders and that of the political leadership in the United States. At a time when a number of prominent executives have begun calling for slowing the pace of developing this technology out of fear of its accelerating risks, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson believe such calls are exaggerated, and that hesitation could cost Washington its global leadership against China.

Tech Leaders Call for "Regulating the Pace"

Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, issued a lengthy open letter in which he called for what he described as "regulating the pace of progress" in the field of artificial intelligence, stressing that the time has come to slow down in the frenzied development race rather than rushing toward more capabilities without adequate safety guarantees.

This call was not isolated, as it received support from a number of the industry's most prominent names. Both Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, and businessman Elon Musk expressed public support for the idea via the X platform. Demis Hassabis, an executive at Alphabet, Google's parent company, also gave cautious preliminary support to Amodei's proposal.

This consensus among names that are usually on opposite ends of commercial competition reflects a growing awareness within the sector that the current speed of development may exceed society's ability to absorb its consequences.

The White House's Position: Whoever Wins AI Wins Everything

On the other side, the political administration does not appear to share the tech leaders' concerns. According to the Financial Times, Trump emphasized that the United States leads China in this field, and that he wishes to maintain this superiority, based on the conviction that whoever wins the AI race wins the entire future.

This position rests on a competitive geopolitical logic more than a technical one, as any voluntary slowdown in development is seen as an opportunity that Beijing might exploit to narrow the gap or surpass Washington.

Warning of a "Threat to National Security"

For his part, House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed a similar stance during a television interview on CNN, warning that rushing to impose restrictions on AI development could turn into a threat to American national security.

Johnson called for not being swept up in a state of panic, noting that any hasty legislative move could backfire. He explained that convening an emergency session of Congress to hastily regulate artificial intelligence would cause the United States to lose its advanced position in the race with China.

The Heart of the Dispute

This divergence reveals a dilemma that goes beyond the limits of technical debate, touching on deeper questions about balancing priorities. The parties to the discussion can be summarized as follows:

• Industry leaders focus on the risks of rapid development and the necessity of allowing sufficient time to ensure safety and control over the technology.
• The political leadership focuses on the competitive dimension with China, viewing any slowdown as a strategic danger.
• Both parties agree on the importance of artificial intelligence, but they differ fundamentally in identifying the greater danger.

This debate highlights a structural challenge in formulating modern technology policies, where innovation intersects with national security and international competition. While developers look at the internal risks of the technology itself, decision-makers look at the global landscape and the balances among major powers.

This tension is likely to continue shaping the contours of the debate over AI regulation in the coming period, as neither party appears ready to easily concede its vision, making the question of finding a balance between responsible innovation and competitive leadership one of the most prominent issues on the table of American technology policy.

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