Trump is ‘compromised’ over AI, Jon Ossoff warns in latest attack on president’s plans

Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff accused President Donald Trump of being "compromised" on AI, citing the First Family's financial stake through 1789 Capital, the venture firm where Donald Trump Jr. is a partner, which Ossoff said has invested heavily in AI labs and data centers. Speaking on MS NOW's The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, Ossoff called for Big Tech bosses to testify before Congress "immediately," allow inspectors into their laboratories, and for the U.S. to fortify against bioterrorism, after Trump's Truth Social posts alleging a "SICK conspiracy" to rein in the sector sparked calls for his removal under the 25th Amendment.

Trump is ‘compromised’ over AI, Jon Ossoff warns in latest attack on president’s plans ‘The First Family has a financial stake in this industry,’ Georgia Democrat alleges in attack on President Donald Trump over rejection of whistleblower warnings about artificial intelligence - Bookmark Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/jon-ossoff has accused President Donald Trump https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/donald-trump of being “compromised” on AI https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/ai after the latter’s comments opposing regulation of the emerging technology https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ai-rant-conspiracy-guardrails-b3049920.html provoked uproar. Trump has lashed at critics of artificial intelligence https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/anthropic-openai-ai-threat-jacob-coxon-b3047033.html several times in recent days, rubbishing concerns about its potential for harm and arguing that any slowdown in its development would hand China a competitive edge https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ai-china-ted-cruz-b3048593.html . He then launched into a series of ranting posts on Truth Social Monday – in which he alleged a “SICK conspiracy” was trying to rein in the sector, overlooking comments by industry leaders Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Dario Amodei https://www.independent.co.uk/tech/sam-altman-elon-musk-ai-safety-concerns-b3049217.html – which sparked calls for his removal from office under the 25th Amendment https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ai-truth-social-25th-amendment-b3050407.html . Responding on MS NOW’s The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/lawrence-odonnell Monday evening, the senator – who is seen as one of his party’s rising stars and has been tipped for a 2028 presidential run https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jon-ossoff-aoc-2028-presidential-race-b3046105.html – was asked how he believed an “active, alert” president should respond to the existential challenges posed by AI. “This is a moment that calls for wise and capable leadership,” Ossoff responded https://x.com/atrupar/status/2099685485161439249 , agreeing with O’Donnell’s earlier comparison between AI and the proliferation of nuclear weapons https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3DNgyG8TAc&t=632s in the mid-20th century. “It’s not by skill, but rather by luck, that for the last 80 years we’ve avoided a nuclear exchange between two powers and our wisdom has to catch up with our technical capacity,” the senator said. He called for Big Tech bosses to testify “immediately” before Congress, allow inspectors to visit their laboratories and for the U.S. to fortify itself against bioterrorism, which he called, “one of the most significant potential threats associated with this technology.” Pivoting to the president, he said: “Donald Trump basically says we’re gonna sit on our hands and hope for the best. And, remember, he’s conflicted. “1789 Capital – the venture firm that Don Jr https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/donald-trump-jr is a partner in – they’ve invested heavily in AI labs, they’ve invested heavily in data centres so the First Family has a financial stake in this industry and as a result the president of the United States is compromised.” The Independent has reached out to the Trump Organization for comment. Later in the interview, Ossoff called https://x.com/atrupar/status/2099685986787549416 the president “a dangerously corrupt and incompetent man” and reminded voters to do their “patriotic duty” in November’s midterms and help Democrats win their races “decisively.” He was also asked about Trump’s eldest son, the aforementioned Don Jr, recently marrying Florida socialite Bettina Anderson in the Bahamas in a ceremony partially paid for by Russian oligarch Umar Kremlev https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-jr-wedding-umar-kremlev-putin-b3049941.html , who has ties to President Vladimir Putin. “We are witnessing people drunk with power, who are utterly reckless, utterly corrupt, and obviously believe that they live with impunity,” Ossoff said https://x.com/atrupar/status/2099686006479818859 . “They believe they’re untouchable. They believe they’re invincible. Let’s prove them wrong… Let’s teach Donald Trump a lesson he’ll never forget.” Ossoff recently made headlines by mocking the president https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jon-ossoff-trump-natalie-harp-b3037292.html over his close relationship with his executive assistant Natlaie Harp at a rally in Atlanta. “He doesn’t want to do his job,” the senator said, in comments that quickly went viral. “He wants to build his ballroom and travel with Natalie on their apparently defenseless flying palace gifted by the Emir of Qatar.” The reference to Harp drew a furious response from both the president – who angrily likened Ossoff to the 1980s children’s entertainer Pee-Wee Herman – and the White House, which inadvertently prolonged the controversy by aggressively going on the attack and demanding the Democrat apologize. The senator was unmoved by the backlash, preferring to stand back and marvel at the “meltdown” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-natalie-harp-white-house-jon-ossoff-b3036172.html he had inspired. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments comments-area