US Vice President JD Vance on Monday questioned technology leaders’ calls for broader government intervention to regulate artificial intelligence and slow its development, saying that advanced companies’ calls for restrictions on themselves looked like a “Trojan horse.” Vance told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, before traveling to events in the Kansas City area, that he was puzzled by the large number of artificial intelligence companies turning to the government and asking it to regulate their activities.
Tech leaders call for broader oversight
His comments came after Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic; Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI; Demis Hassabis, head of Google DeepMind; and Elon Musk called for stronger government oversight and a slower pace of artificial intelligence development.
US President Donald Trump took a similar position, saying that having a strong president was sufficient to prevent any artificial intelligence system from getting out of control. He added that authorities already had broad criminal and regulatory powers over companies operating in the sector.
Congress divided over artificial intelligence safety
Political positions remain divided over the level of oversight required, with some warning of the risks posed by advanced models and others fearing that restrictions could undermine the United States’ ability to compete. House Speaker Mike Johnson said Congress had imposed some controls on artificial intelligence and that companies developing the models bore clear responsibility for the safety of their products.
But he rejected the idea of a temporary pause, warning that China could catch up with the United States, and called for balancing national security with model safety. Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing for additional safeguards and restrictions. Their Senate leader, Chuck Schumer, called for a classified briefing for all senators from the Trump administration to explain how the government is handling the technology’s rapid development.
Former US President Barack Obama also urged Democrats, during a private fundraising event in New York, to make artificial intelligence and data centers major issues in elections.
He warned of the sector’s rapid development and its control by private companies, urging his party to prepare a clear plan to address safety concerns and economic effects.
