Trump calls AI fears a 'hoax' as tech exec warns of 'unseen hand' in regulation push
As President Donald Trump dismisses AI existential risk as a "hoax" reminiscent of climate change narratives — sparked by a surprise call from Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang — tech executives are pushing back, warning of an "unseen hand" shaping the future of global regulation amid intense geopolitical competition with China.
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Google DeepMind researcher steps down, warning AI has potential to 'kill us all'
A former Google DeepMind researcher said AI has the potential to kill us all after he resigned, warning that he had become deeply concerned about the direction of the technology after watching its rapid development firsthand.
Bilal Chughtai, who resigned from the Google-owned AI lab in July 2026 after working on AGI safety and alignment, said "we might be running out of time to avoid" the threat of being killed by AI.
"I recently resigned from Google DeepMind, where I worked on AGI safety and alignment research. At Google, I witnessed AI development first hand. I too am extremely concerned by the default trajectory of this technology. I earnestly believe that AI has the potential to kill us all, and that we might be running out of time to avoid this outcome," he wrote on X.
"The pace of AI progress in the past few years has been staggering. When I first started working on AI in early 2022, AIs were amusingly useless. Just four years on, AI agent swarms from OpenAI are cracking famous century-old math problems and, more worryingly, escaping the control of OpenAI and autonomously hacking into the third-party company HuggingFace, against anyone's wishes," he added.
He said "things will only get crazier."
"I think it's possible that the AI companies might, in the next few years, succeed in building superintelligent AI systems that far exceed human capabilities in every domain," he wrote. "I am not confident that these AI systems will do what we want."
"In particular, misaligned superintelligences may, much like the rogue AI agents involved in the HuggingFace incident, escape our control and take dangerous actions that may result in the permanent disempowerment or death of humanity. Alignment is the problem of preventing this, and is both difficult and unsolved. Our present understanding of how to train AI systems that deeply want what we want is extremely rudimentary. Worse, we are not on track to solve alignment in time: frontier AI capabilities are improving much faster than our understanding of AI alignment," he continued.
OpenAI has confirmed that models used in an internal cybersecurity evaluation circumvented controls designed to isolate them from the internet and compromised parts of Hugging Face's systems in July. OpenAI said the models communicated through unauthorized channels, exploited vulnerabilities in shared infrastructure, gained internet access and accessed third-party systems. The company said no models planned for an upcoming release were involved in exploiting Hugging Face; the model primarily responsible was an internal-only research prototype that was never intended for public release.
Although he added that he is "optimistic that navigating AI safely is possible."
David Sacks says China’s AI optimism gives it an edge over US
Entrepreneur David Sacks said optimism is the one area where China beats out the U.S., warning that it is the biggest risk to winning the AI race against China.
Reacting to the recent Robot Olympics in China, where Chinese people filled a stadium and cheered for AI and robotics, Sacks said "it is true that China is much more optimistic about AI than we are."
"AI optimism in China is over 80%, meaning they poll on the question, 'do you think AI will be more beneficial than harmful?' Over 80% of Chinese people say yes. In the U.S., that number is in like 30%," Sacks said.
"So I've been saying for a while that the U.S. is ahead of China in every category except one, which is optimism. And that is the biggest risk to us winning this AI race against China is doing something that will shoot ourselves in the foot because we're so pessimistic about what AI might do," he continued.
Mark Cuban says AI 'not going to take away 50% of the jobs': 'So much it can't do'
Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban said AI is not going to take away 50% of the jobs, stressing that "there's just so much it can't do that regular people need it to do."
"Does that create opportunity? Enormous opportunity. If you're an entrepreneur, there's no better time to be an entrepreneur because that's where AI is the most impactful," Cuban said earlier this year.
"No matter where you are in the world, they have big utilization in Brazil, India, France, US, wherever. But again, all this talk about taking white-collar jobs is ridiculous when it can't even do the basic s---. And you have to have a programming mindset in order to be able to iterate and figure it out," he continued.
Antony Blinken says AI has potential for 'extraordinary good' and 'catastrophic consequences'
Former U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said AI has the potential for "extraordinary good, but also for catastrophic consequences" if its development outpaces human ability to put necessary guardrails in place.
"AI has the potential for extraordinary good, but also for catastrophic consequences if its development outpaces our ability to put the right guardrails in place," Blinken, who served in the Biden administration, said on X.
"America does not need to choose between leading the AI race with China and taking seriously the profound risks that come with this technology. We can do both, and I believe we must," he continued.
Altimeter CEO says AI safety debate should start with self-regulation
Altimeter Capital founder and CEO Brad Gerstner said AI companies should strengthen their own safeguards before Washington steps in with new regulations.
“We are already red teaming. We are already bringing a lot of safety to the table in the labs,” Gerstner said on “The Ingraham Angle.”
Gerstner said independent monitors and Elon Musk’s proposal for competing labs to test one another’s models are worth considering, but argued that industry leaders can act without government intervention.
“We need to start with self-regulation,” he said.
Gerstner also warned that rushed regulation could slow American development as the U.S. competes with China.
“Why are we going to change the horse in the middle of the race?” Gerstner asked. “Let our thoroughbreds run.”
He said the industry does not need “the United Nations or an FDA for AI” to improve safety.
Florida Republican calls global AI governing plan ‘bonkers’
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., pushed back on an unnamed tech executive’s proposal for international oversight of artificial intelligence, arguing that private companies should not help direct the decisions of elected governments.
“The idea floated by a tech CEO discussing transnational governance on AI to direct governments, including our own, is literally against our principles and sovereignty as a republic,” Luna wrote on X.
Luna said technology companies should not have more power than voters or the governments they elect.
“Tech companies are NOT greater than the people as a whole, and their elected government,” she wrote. “That is bonkers.”
The Florida Republican said she could support countries negotiating an AI agreement or treaty but drew the line at creating a broader international governing structure.
“An agreement/treaty is one thing,” Luna wrote. “A TRANSNATIONAL GOVERNANCE is totally different.”
Elon Musk urges AI rivals to test each other’s models
Elon Musk called on leading artificial intelligence companies to test one another’s models before they are released, arguing that competitors could uncover safety risks missed during internal reviews.
Appearing virtually at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles, Musk said the proposal could be implemented immediately.
“Instead of kind of grading your own homework, you would at least have competitors grading your homework and raising the alarm if they see concerns,” Musk said.
He argued that companies would face significant consequences if they released a model after competitors had warned it was unsafe and the technology later caused harm.
“The egg-on-face level would be very, very high,” Musk said. “And the legal liability would be enormous.”
Musk also said any AI safety proposal must be acceptable to China to avoid placing the United States at a competitive disadvantage.
“Any given proposal has to be something that China is willing to accept,” he said. “Otherwise, we’re just handicapping ourselves.”
JD Vance tells AI labs to stop building 'Frankenstein'
Vice President JD Vance challenged artificial intelligence companies to address cyberthreats created by their own models before asking Washington to impose new regulations.
Speaking virtually at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles, Vance questioned why leaders at the forefront of AI development were warning that they had “built Frankenstein” while calling for a global governing structure to oversee the technology.
“If you’re building Frankenstein, stop,” Vance said. “Or maybe, if the cat is out of the bag, then build the defensive mechanism against Frankenstein.”
Vance said he believes Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is sincere about the risks of advanced AI. However, he argued that companies seeking tools to defend themselves against cyberattacks enabled by Anthropic’s models were being denied access to those protections.
“If you’re going to create Frankenstein, don’t come to the government and say, ‘We need regulation,’” Vance said.
Instead, he said developers should stop building dangerous tools or provide companies with the defenses needed to fight back.
Kamala Harris’ past AI remarks resurface as debate over safeguards intensifies
Former Vice President Kamala Harris’ past explanation of artificial intelligence resurfaced after she joined growing calls to slow the development of advanced AI systems.
Fox News host Will Cain questioned what he described as a sudden shift in the national conversation surrounding artificial intelligence as calls for new safeguards gained momentum.
On “The Will Cain Show,” Cain replayed a 2023 clip in which Harris described AI as “kind of a fancy thing.”
“First of all, it’s two letters. It means artificial intelligence,” Harris said before explaining that AI involves machines learning from the information they receive.
Cain responded with a joke likening the explanation to a classroom lesson for young children.
The clip resurfaced after Harris wrote on X that frontier AI is advancing at an “alarming speed.”
“We must responsibly slow the pace of frontier AI development,” Harris wrote, arguing that a slowdown would create time to establish safeguards without abandoning the technology’s potential benefits.
Harris also called for new federal oversight, independent testing and an international agreement with countries including China to limit dangerous uses of AI.
Bipartisan lawmakers say US can regulate AI without handing China the lead
Reps. Jay Obernolte, R-Calif., and Lori Trahan, D-Mass., said Congress can establish AI safeguards without slowing innovation or allowing China to overtake the United States.
Their bipartisan Frontier Act would require major AI developers to publish safety plans, report serious incidents and undergo independent evaluations.
Obernolte told “Special Report” the bill balances innovation with protections against the malicious use of AI.
Trahan said voluntary disclosure is not enough because the public currently learns about safety incidents only when companies choose to reveal them.
“We need a mandatory transparency and incident reporting structure,” she said.
Both lawmakers rejected the idea that safety and competition with China are incompatible, arguing that clear standards could help make American AI the world’s safest and most trusted technology.
Trump won’t sign AI bill he doesn’t personally lead, Axios co-founder says
President Donald Trump is unlikely to sign any artificial intelligence legislation unless it originates in the White House, Axios co-founder Mike Allen reported Tuesday.
During an appearance on Fox News’ “America Reports,” Allen said administration sources told him there is a “zero percent chance” Trump would approve an AI regulation bill that he did not personally push, lead and put his name behind.
The president’s top technology advisers remain focused on accelerating American AI development as China races to close the gap, Allen said.
However, he reported that administration officials are considering a proposal that could allow the United States and China to examine each other’s advanced models before their release to test them for safety. The idea could surface when Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this month.
Any agreement, Allen cautioned, would require cooperation from both countries.
Zuckerberg says AI labs should set their own pace to keep models safe
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said AI companies should take responsibility for safely developing their models without waiting for an industrywide slowdown.
“Every lab has the responsibility and incentive to move at the pace required to train its models safely,” Zuckerberg wrote on X, linking to his earlier essay, “The Future Is for Everyone.”
Zuckerberg argued that users will reject AI agents that do not follow their instructions and that labs face significant liability if their models cause harm.
He pointed to Meta’s decision to delay the release of Muse for several months to address safety and security concerns.
“We didn’t call for everyone else to do this before we would,” he wrote. “We just did it.”
Zuckerberg also backed independent safety evaluations and urged labs to focus their computing power on serving users rather than racing toward self-improving AI.
“I believe the key to building a positive future for everyone is maintaining the right balance of power,” Zuckerberg wrote. “This is within our power to do.”
US pushes Mexico to shut China out of booming AI hardware trade: WSJ
The United States is pressing Mexico to adopt tougher sourcing rules for artificial intelligence hardware in an effort to stop Chinese companies from using America’s southern neighbor to bypass tariffs, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The proposal would limit the amount of content from outside North America used in servers, chips and other AI equipment exported from Mexico to the U.S.
The issue is being discussed as Washington and Mexico negotiate revisions to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, according to the Journal.
AI hardware has overtaken automobiles as Mexico’s top export to the U.S. Mexico exported $83 billion in computer servers during the first six months of 2026, with 94% headed to the U.S., the Journal reported, citing S&P Global.
The proposal remains in its early stages, and U.S. officials have not determined how much North American content would be required. Industry groups warn stricter rules could increase costs and red tape.
Pentagon fires back at AI ‘doomers,’ vows US will remain dominant
The Pentagon’s technology office pushed back against calls to slow artificial intelligence development, declaring that the United States will control the technology’s next chapter.
“The new frontier of artificial intelligence belongs to us, not doomers,” the Department of War CTO wrote on X. “Under President Trump, the United States will remain AI DOMINANT.”
The post included a screenshot of an Axios report examining the Trump administration’s criticism of effective altruism and the movement’s influence on AI safety efforts.
The administration argues that slowing development could undermine America’s global competitiveness and allow China to gain ground. AI safety advocates warn that rapidly advancing systems require stronger safeguards to prevent potentially catastrophic risks.
GOP lawmaker warns US cannot ‘pump the brakes’ on AI as China races ahead
Rep. Rich McCormick, R-Ga., warned that slowing artificial intelligence development could hand China the advantage, arguing that American companies should be allowed to innovate while remaining accountable for any harm they cause.
“There’s a new call to slow down AI development,” McCormick wrote on X while sharing a CBS News article about the debate. “America cannot afford to pump the brakes while China is flooring it.”
McCormick said individual CEOs are free to slow development at their own companies but should not expect exemptions from liability if their products cause harm.
He added that companies developing AI quickly and responsibly should not be held back.
“The answer is smart development with real accountability, not a pause that hands our competitors the lead,” McCormick wrote.
Facebook co-founder’s network eyes $1B in AI grants as regulation fight grows
Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz and his wife, Cari Tuna, are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into artificial intelligence through Coefficient Giving, the philanthropy network they founded and primarily fund.
The organization committed $168 million to AI safety, security and related work in 2024 and $351 million in 2025. It says that spending could top $1 billion in 2026.
The funding is drawing scrutiny as Washington debates new AI regulations. Capital Research Center investigator Parker Thayer claims the network is connected to a broader “AI-doomerism movement” seeking to shape the debate.
However, Thayer offered no evidence that anyone connected to the effective altruism movement helped coordinate or promote former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon’s viral resignation post, and Coxon has said he acted alone.
Read more in Fox News Digital's Preston Mizell’s full report.
AI giants’ bid to sidestep antitrust laws hits wall with Cruz, Hawley
Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley rejected granting artificial intelligence companies exemptions from antitrust laws to coordinate on safety standards, Politico reported.
Cruz accused industry leaders of seeking government protection from competitors while simultaneously warning that their technology could threaten humanity.
“If you’re about to destroy the world, how about, don’t,” the Texas Republican said. “How about, stop.”
Hawley was equally direct, saying there was “no world” in which he would support allowing several powerful companies to “collude together.”
Attorney General Todd Blanche declined to take a position during a White House briefing, saying any proposed waiver would require a formal Justice Department review involving “dozens of factors.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said existing cyber investigators could handle AI-related threats but may need additional resources. He argued that authorities should target developers who intentionally create models for criminal purposes without automatically punishing companies when users misuse lawful products.
FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson has also voiced skepticism about granting AI companies antitrust exemptions.
AG Blanche says Democrats’ sudden AI alarm is a midterm election play
Attorney General Todd Blanche accused Democratic senators of amplifying fears about artificial intelligence as part of an effort to influence the midterm elections.
“Every Democrat senator suddenly races to a microphone to talk about AI after being eerily silent for months,” Blanche said during a White House press briefing Tuesday.
Blanche questioned why the warnings were intensifying so close to Election Day and described the timing as politically motivated.
“To talk about the timing of this as being nothing but an effort to influence the midterms — I shouldn’t have to say this out loud,” he said. “Of course it is.”
Blanche did not offer evidence during his remarks that Democrats’ calls for action were coordinated as an election strategy.
The attorney general also said the Justice Department would investigate criminal violations involving AI, while emphasizing that the agency would enforce existing laws rather than regulate the technology itself
AI fight grips Congress as Johnson warns lawmakers lack key answers
Lawmakers are intensifying demands for action on artificial intelligence, but House Speaker Mike Johnson says Congress still lacks the information needed to craft effective regulations.
“If I called an emergency session today and I brought everybody in the House and said, ‘Let’s regulate AI,’ nobody in the room knows yet what that should look like,” Johnson said.
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reported that Johnson spoke with President Donald Trump and expects top AI executives to meet at the White House within days.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chairman Greg Casar, D-Texas, called for AI CEOs to testify under oath, alleging they either withheld information from Congress or did not understand their systems’ capabilities.
Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., urged Trump to ask Chinese President Xi Jinping to commit to keeping AI from independently launching nuclear weapons.
The escalating debate has divided lawmakers over whether to act immediately or wait for more information while ensuring the U.S. maintains its advantage over China.
AG Blanche vows DOJ action against Chinese actors stealing American AI data
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department will pursue Chinese companies and individuals accused of stealing American artificial intelligence data, while cautioning against blaming China as a whole.
Blanche was asked during a White House press briefing whether President Donald Trump should confront Chinese President Xi Jinping about the alleged theft when the two leaders meet.
“When you say China, you’re talking about an entire country,” Blanche said. “Are there separate issues with actors in China and companies in China and bad actors? That has existed long before this administration.”
Blanche said the Justice Department and other federal agencies are working to combat the alleged activity.
“I don’t think it’s fair to just label China as a country,” he added. “There’s bad actors in China that are doing it, which we’re definitely going to go after.”
Blanche separately said the DOJ would investigate criminal violations involving AI, but would not serve as the technology’s regulator.