AI has become the latest issue to enter the political fray, as CEOs of leading artificial-intelligence companies warn of job losses, catastrophic misuse and even the possible end of humanity. They are calling for government-enforced restrictions, while others argue AI must proceed full steam ahead through open-source models and a more free-market approach.
President Trump again weighed in over the weekend, landing squarely against the doomers. “Whoever wins AI wins,” he said, arguing that the race is not merely about better chatbots or corporate profits, but economic strength, military dominance and global power. The country that leads in AI will not merely achieve global dominance, but it is bound to become the world’s essential hub for medical breakthroughs, scientific research, trade, investment and commerce.
NEW: President Trump reacts to recent, concerning reports about AI and answers whether the industry should be more regulated.
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 13, 2026
"We're leading China in AI, we're the most sophisticated country in the world. And frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI, wins." pic.twitter.com/rcNKR8SYFI
“We’re leading China in AI. We’re the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins,” Trump told reporters.
“And we can put guardrails; we can do this and that,” he added.
“But I think you have a lot of negative voices that are bringing it up that shouldn’t be bringing it up, and they’re bringing up things that won’t happen.”
The president doubled down again on Monday, writing on Truth Social:
The only control or “guardrails” that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades! The Trump Administration has stopped AI “people” from doing bad, or potentially bad, “things,“ like Dario (Anthropic!), who is now pretending to be a “perfect little angel” - and we will continue to do so! We already have tremendous CRIMINAL and REGULATORY power over these companies! There is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China. WHOEVER WINS AI, WINS! We are leading China, and all others, and will continue to do so. Conspiracy Theorists, Treasonists, Traitors, and Leakers, BEWARE! Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 14, 2026
False predictions from AI CEOs have become something of a phenomenon. Last year, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei warned that AI could eliminate up to half of entry-level white-collar jobs and push unemployment as high as 10 percent to 20 percent within five years. Yet, rather than producing the promised jobs apocalypse, AI-related activity has been linked to roughly 1 million new U.S. jobs, outpacing any reported AI-related layoffs.
As for claims that AI will end humanity, skeptics reasonably note that catastrophe sells well in the tech world. An existential warning from the CEO of an AI company is difficult to accept at face value when it also generates headlines, policy influence and a compelling argument for why the public should trust that company to regulate, or perhaps conveniently dominate, the technology.
This comes after the Trump administration secured an agreement last month from all G20 nations, including China and Russia, to take a measured, light-touch approach to AI regulation. The nonbinding Carolina Principles urge governments to avoid new AI-specific regulatory bodies, rely on existing sector-by-sector laws where possible, and reserve new rules for genuinely novel, demonstrated harms.
Enforcement will be another question entirely, particularly with China and Russia involved. Still, the agreement clearly outlines the administration’s preferred AI policy: a free-market approach that rejects sweeping restrictions and focuses regulation on concrete abuses rather than hypothetical disasters. That is the right approach, and one public opinion and Congress seem increasingly determined to screw up.
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