Everyone but Trump is worried about AI

President Donald Trump declared in a Monday morning post that "the only control or 'guardrails' that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT," rejecting calls for AI regulation as lawmakers from both parties and top AI company leaders push for slower development. The debate intensified after Anthropic employee Jacob Coxon resigned, citing concerns that AI giants were "gambling with our lives" in a race toward "self-improving superintelligence." Trump also claimed "AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX," while roughly 75 percent of Americans strongly oppose AI data centers near their homes, according to one poll cited by Vox.

This story appeared in The Logoff https://www.vox.com/the-logoff-newsletter-trump , a daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news take over your life. Subscribe here https://www.vox.com/pages/logoff-newsletter-trump-administration-updates . Everyone but Trump is worried about AI AI experts want guardrails. Trump wants to go full speed ahead. Cameron Peters https://www.vox.com/authors/cameron-peters is a staff editor at Vox. Welcome to The Logoff: Everyone but President Donald Trump is freaking out about artificial intelligence. What’s happening? As policymakers and tech CEOs discuss how to put guardrails on AI development, Trump is on a posting spree. “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,” he wrote in a Monday morning post. “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 ” In a later post, he also claimed that “AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX.” Why is Trump weighing in on this now? Last week, the conversation around superpowerful AI — powerful enough that some researchers warn it could wipe out all of humanity — broke through https://www.vox.com/politics/502717/ai-freakout-mainstream-openai-anthropic-humans after Jacob Coxon https://x.com/hilbertspaess/status/2097476196791709843?s=20 , an employee at the AI company Anthropic, announced his resignation, citing concerns that AI giants were “gambling with our lives” in a race toward “self-improving superintelligence.” Since then, lawmakers from both parties, as well as the leaders of top AI companies, have started talking more seriously about slowing down AI development. Why does he care? It’s not totally clear why Trump is choosing to go to the mat on this issue, but US-China competition is part of it, as is the economy: He’s repeatedly evoked the need to preserve the “golden goose” to explain his support for AI and data centers. What’s the big picture? Opposition to AI and data centers has become a rare area of bipartisan agreement. As my colleague Dylan Scott reported https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/500158/data-centers-2026-election-texas-ohio-michigan last month, according to one poll, about 75 percent of Americans strongly oppose the construction of AI data centers near where they live. Politicians from both parties are responding accordingly and racing to voice their opposition. But Congress isn’t likely to move anytime soon, which means the quickest path to AI regulation runs through the executive branch — and Trump is proclaiming himself gleefully uninterested in taking action. And with that, it’s time to log off… It may only be mid-September, but my colleague Allie Volpe recommends https://www.vox.com/advice/502674/start-holiday-planning-now-september?view token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6InRiV3lqeWxUSWciLCJwIjoiL2FkdmljZS81MDI2NzQvc3RhcnQtaG9saWRheS1wbGFubmluZy1ub3ctc2VwdGVtYmVyIiwiZXhwIjoxNzkwNjI3ODk0LCJpYXQiOjE3ODk0MTgyOTR9.igJzD3CVQ3BFgIvI1dFVQe0rAVctP1Ydibc-JYkHbo0&utm medium=gift-link you get a jump on your holiday plans now especially Thanksgiving . You can read her case for planning ahead here https://www.vox.com/advice/502674/start-holiday-planning-now-september?view token=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpZCI6InRiV3lqeWxUSWciLCJwIjoiL2FkdmljZS81MDI2NzQvc3RhcnQtaG9saWRheS1wbGFubmluZy1ub3ctc2VwdGVtYmVyIiwiZXhwIjoxNzkwNjI3ODk0LCJpYXQiOjE3ODk0MTgyOTR9.igJzD3CVQ3BFgIvI1dFVQe0rAVctP1Ydibc-JYkHbo0&utm medium=gift-link , with a gift link. Have a great evening, and we’ll see you tomorrow