Senate Majority Leader John Thune declined to endorse President Donald Trump’s characterization of AI concerns as a “hoax,” saying the technology presents both major opportunities and potential risks.
“I think there’s a lot of hyperbole around this issue,” the South Dakota Republican told reporters Tuesday, adding that no one fully knows how advanced AI could develop.
Thune stressed that the United States must remain ahead of its adversaries.
“I don’t think for a minute that we ought to cede the future when it comes to AI to China or any other adversary,” he said.
Thune said Americans should benefit from the technology while policymakers work to mitigate risks involving the most advanced “frontier” AI models.
His comments come as lawmakers debate how to balance safeguards with the need to preserve America’s competitive advantage over China, a concern also raised by House Speaker Mike Johnson.
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.
Sen. Ted Cruz said the United States cannot afford to sharply slow artificial intelligence development, warning that China could quickly erase America’s narrow lead.
“If they’re going to be killer robots, I’d rather they be American killer robots than Chinese killer robots,” the Texas Republican told Politico’s Dasha Burns.
Cruz acknowledged the remark was partly “tongue-in-cheek,” but said Beijing is advancing AI without comparable guardrails while America holds an estimated six-month lead.
“We could have government step in and just shut down the AI industry in America,” Cruz said. “China would catch up in six months and soar ahead.”
Cruz did not reject regulation entirely. He called for targeted safeguards covering AI systems capable of causing catastrophic damage, comparing them with rules governing nuclear and biological technology.
The senator also called a former Anthropic researcher’s warnings “scary as hell,” saying lawmakers must balance innovation with public safety.
{{#rendered}}Bill Gates warned that artificial intelligence companies cannot be expected to police the sweeping effects of their own technology, calling for stronger government involvement and international coordination.
“It’s not the role of the industry to self-regulate or understand the whole-of-society impact that comes out of AI,” Gates said during an interview on the Times Tech Podcast.
The Microsoft co-founder argued that governments should draw on experts in biosecurity, cybersecurity and child development to establish safeguards while AI companies remain focused on rapidly improving their models.
Gates also called for U.S. leadership in creating an international organization to address AI, pointing to previous global cooperation on nuclear weapons, aviation safety and the ozone layer.
However, Gates acknowledged that governments are not yet prepared for the task.
“The depth of understanding of AI and the right concern about some of these bad things is too low in every entity, including the government,” he said.
Gates has warned that a “vacuum of U.S. leadership” could leave the world unprepared for AI’s rapid advance
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani signaled support Tuesday for a broader federal role in regulating artificial intelligence, calling Sen. Bernie Sanders’ proposed nationwide freeze on new AI data centers an “important part” of the debate.
Mamdani stopped short of explicitly endorsing the legislation, saying federal action must extend beyond the facilities powering AI.
“We need to see policies that have to do with the pace of development,” Mamdani told reporters.
The Democratic mayor said decisions about rapidly advancing technology should not be driven solely by corporate profits or a small group of executives.
He also called for a federal response to reports of AI systems defying human instructions and raised concerns about companies warning that the technology could threaten humanity.
Sanders’ AI Data Center Moratorium Act would halt construction and expansion of major AI data centers until Congress establishes national safeguards.
First lady Melania Trump, once leading the Be Best program with students and education, stressed the importance of the U.S. leading in artificial intelligence while urging students to stay vigilant as technology shapes the future.
"We need to lead in AI as a country, and we could see now what they're learning, and it's very important," the first lady said during a classroom visit Tuesday. "Of course, they need to be vigilant as well. But this is our future, and we need to guide them and teach them what is available.
"If not, they will stay behind, and we need to be the first in United States to lead."
{{#rendered}}Former Sen. Joe Machin, D-W.Va., called on President Donald Trump during a Monday appearance on CNBC's "Squawk Box" to use executive authority to pause new artificial intelligence IPOs until Congress passes legislation establishing safeguards for the rapidly developing technology.
Manchin framed the request as an urgent step to prevent companies developing advanced AI from facing additional pressure to race ahead before lawmakers establish rules governing the technology.
"The president of the United States has the power to save humanity ," Manchin said. "They must be concerned about this thing can take off and think on its own and make its own decisions and override anything of humans and we can't stop it. If that's what they're concerned about, then stop it now when you can."
This post was an excerpt from Fox News' CJ Womack's report.
A recent security incident involving Hugging Face demonstrates how misaligned or misused artificial intelligence could exploit vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure and financial systems, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent agreed Tuesday.
"We have been working with the labs, with our financial partners on that, and you wouldn't notice," Bessent told Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., on whether the administration supports new AI safety regulations in light of the event, pointing to ongoing collaboration rather than immediate legislative action.
Bessent emphasized private-sector cooperation.
When directly asked if there is any specific law or regulation the administration would support, Bessent responded, "I haven't seen anything yet."
Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., warns the U.S. must win the global artificial intelligence race against China, saying overzealous government regulations that could stifle American innovation.
{{#rendered}}The AI regulation debate is stirring divides in Congress, as Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., weighs the national security risks of artificial intelligence and Fox News chief congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on "The Faulkner Focus."
Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., discusses cryptocurrency regulations on FOX Business as the Clarity Act faces a preliminary Senate vote over cryptocurrency regulatory action.
Sparks flew during a tense congressional exchange this week as Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif, went head-to-head over regulatory oversight and the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence.
The fireworks began when Waters issued a sharp rebuke of the Trump administration's approach to tech innovation.
Pointing to warnings from tech titans and industry leaders — including figures like Bill Gates, Elon Musk, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei — Waters accused the administration of blindly championing AI and data centers without adequate safeguards.
"They said we're moving into a dangerous period of time. We need to watch it. We need to slow down," Waters pressed, demanding a simple "yes or no" on whether Bessent had heard the mounting safety warnings.
Bessent pushed back against the critique, maintaining that the administration has proactively evaluated AI models for months, and noting Big Tech companies can control their progress.
"They could stop their progress anytime they want to," Bessent said to a Waters intent on "reclaiming my time."
When Waters pressed further, arguing that tech billionaires themselves are sounding the alarm, Bessent countered that some industry players are simply lobbying for regulations to suit their own interests.
The heated back-and-forth ultimately ended with Waters reclaiming her time, underscoring a deepening partisan divide in Washington over how — or if — the federal government should put the brakes on the AI boom.
{{#rendered}}The debate over regulating artificial intelligence is escalating in Washington, D.C., according to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., on "America's Newsroom."
Capito is warning of potential risks from ChatGPT and the need for congressional guardrails.
Former President Barack Obama is calling for a broader public conversation on how society balances rapid artificial intelligence progress with necessary oversight, welcoming recent moves by frontier tech labs to slow their development pace.
Obama emphasized in a Monday night X post that the trajectory of AI — moving faster than the engineers building it — will shape everything from medical breakthroughs to economic stability.
The "choices" on pushing progress versus pulling back with regulation "should be made not just by the companies involved, but by all of us," Obama wrote.
"But whether this technology results in amazing breakthroughs in medicine, energy and education or unleashes huge economic disruptions, greater inequality, and potential catastrophe will depend on the choices that we make right now – choices that should be made not just by the companies involved, but by all of us."
Rather than leaving these choices solely to private corporations or extreme techno-utopians and doomers, he argued that the future of the technology depends on immediate, collective public debate over regulation versus heavy-handed intervention.
Obama's post welcomes a pause, praising the decision by frontier lab leaders to decelerate development as a "good and necessary first step."
He also rejected extremes, distancing himself from both uncritical accelerationists and catastrophic doomers, advocating for a grounded middle ground.
The stakes are too high to be decided exclusively by a handful of tech companies, urging that society at large must participate in deciding how to govern the technology, Obama urged.
Coinbase chief policy officer Faryar Shirzad discusses an upcoming Senate vote to advance the CLARITY Act and its potential impact on cryptocurrency regulation on FOX Business' "The Bottom Line."
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump and the emerging divisions among artificial intelligence leaders over how quickly the technology should advance was debated by Fox News' "Outnumbered" panelists Monday.
Valuetainment founder Patrick Bet-David discusses the debate over artificial intelligence regulation amid concerns about the technology’s safety and advancement, saying on "Jesse Watters Primetime" that the U.S. has a "massive lead" on China in the AI race.
Fox News host Jesse Watters breaks down the suspicious call from the left for artificial intelligence regulation on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
{{#rendered}}Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering Emil Michael urges technology companies to prioritize artificial intelligence safety and security on "The Story."
Fox News host Will Cain discusses Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman calling for government oversight of artificial intelligence on "The Will Cain Show."
Concern over the AI scare is so bipartisan that it is even uniting political polar opposites Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and conservative activist Steve Bannon.
Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon debates Fox News host Sean Hannity over the controversial calls for artificial intelligence regulation on "Hannity."
{{#rendered}}Fox News host Sean Hannity argues Democrats are spreading ‘misinformation’ about artificial intelligence and data centers as they raise concerns about the technology’s safety and advancement on "Hannity."
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is dismissing AI doomsday fears, explaining why extreme AI concerns are not grounded in science, FOX Business' Stuart Varney and Madison Allworth report.
Gatestone Institute senior fellow Gordon Chang and cybersecurity expert Morgan Wright analyze the high-stakes U.S.-China artificial intelligence race on Fox News' "Hannity."
{{#rendered}}Fox News host Jesse Watters breaks down the "suspicious" call for regulation of artificial intelligence from the left on "Jesse Watters Primetime."
The pace of AI development, U.S.-China competition, political strategy, and the regulatory debate surrounding artificial intelligence were under debate on Fox News' "Special Report."
Panelest Juan Williams said President Donald Trump argument against regulatory actions seems to be so far "out of touch."
Kurt Knutsson and Encode founder Sneha Revanur discuss a former Anthropic researcher’s warning about the risks of artificial intelligence on "Fox News @ Night."
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump continues to push back against fears over artificial intelligence as some technology leaders call for safeguards, Fox News correspondent Christina Coleman reports on "Fox News @ Night."
President Donald Trump and experts warn that losing the AI arms race to China poses an existential threat, comparing it to the Cold War nuclear race, Marc Thiessen says on "America Reports."
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin outlines the path to U.S. energy dominance and explains how expanding domestic production can strengthen global supply chains on "The Story."
{{#rendered}}Fox News congressional correspondent Bill Melugin reports on the growing calls from tech leaders to regulate artificial intelligence on "The Story."
Rep. Russell Fry, R-S.C., in a Fox News appearance, discusses Vice President JD Vance's meeting with House Republicans and the national security threat posed by China in the AI race.
Host Taylor Riggs and Blockchain.com CEO Peter Smith discuss President Donald Trump's support for new cryptocurrency ethics requirements under the proposed Clarity Act.
{{#rendered}}FOX Business' Lauren Simonetti reports on G20 energy talks in Houston.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin proposes stripping climate rules, while Victoria Coates analyzes the Saudi pipeline shutdown and President Donald Trump's warning on AI regulation.
Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reports on lawmakers’ push for new artificial intelligence safeguards as Congress weighs the risks of AI against concerns that regulation could give China an advantage.
Artificial intelligence holds the power to either bridge global divides or deepen existing inequalities, according to a stark warning issued by Bill Gates in the latest annual Goalkeepers report.
To ensure AI becomes a force for good rather than a source of injustice, the Gates Foundation has pledged $1 billion over the next two years to expand access and democratize the technology for developing nations, according to the report released ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.
While tech giants pour hundreds of billions into commercial products, the foundation's targeted investment focuses on critical areas where AI can accelerate progress for vulnerable populations:
– Global health ($400 million): Upgrading diagnostic tools to help clinicians catch overlooked symptoms and training health workers using pilots with partners like OpenAI.
– Education ($400 million): Developing tools that assist teachers in adapting lesson plans around concepts their students struggle to understand.
– Agriculture and local language inclusion ($200 million total): Building data sets for underserved and underrepresented local languages (collaborating with Google.org, Microsoft, and Anthropic), alongside mobile apps providing small farmers with real-time weather, pest, and fertilizer advice.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump, showing a close, cordial relationship with NVIDIA co-founder and CEO Jensen Huang, trolled the leader of the biggest semiconductor chip company in the world for his on-stage struggle with how to use a cellphone.
"The great thing about life is that Jensen can develop the most complex computer chip in the world that nobody can copy for 10 years but can't figure out how to put me on speakerphone," Trump said through the phone to the Huang-held stage mic at an AI summit event Monday.
"Almost as distressing is the happiest group is China."
Trump is facing opposition for his push for American leadership in the artificial intelligence technology versus China, just days before a Chinese dictator Xi Jinping trip to the White House.
Opposition forces are seeking to slow down AI growth and implement regulatory safeguards, while campaigning against data centers. Trump has rebuked the efforts as akin to the climate change "hoax" as overregulation as stifling American prosperity and leadership in the world.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang received a surprise phone call from President Donald Trump on Monday, in which the president dismissed fears that AI poses an existential threat to humanity and argued against calls to slow frontier AI development.
While speaking on stage at the All-In Summit in Los Angeles, Huang answered the call and placed Trump on speakerphone for the audience of thousands, as shown in a video of the event shared by the All-In Podcast.
"I’m telling you, it’s all a hoax," Trump said. "The data centers are great, and they make people wealthy, and they make states wealthy, and it's the oil of the next 20–25 years."
Trump said critics are "playing right into the hands of a lot of people that don't want to see it happen."
"That could be political people. It could also be China. And we're not going to let that happen," Trump said.
The president also rejected the idea that AI could pose an existential threat to humanity.
"The robots are not going to be taking over the world," the president added.
Separately on Monday, Trump shared a series of Truth Social posts defending AI development and criticizing calls for increased regulation.
This is an excerpt from Sophia Compton's full FOX Business report.
Palantir Chief Technical Officer Shyam Sankar is warning of "attempted coup" from "unseen" hands pushing back on "technological progress" that artificial intelligence may bring.
"There is an unseen hand pushing AI safety as a political ideology," Sankar wrote Monday night on X.
"Effective Altruists believe a tiny group of technocrats should decide how much technological progress the rest of us are allowed to have…. and how many shrimp your life is worth.
"You are witnessing their attempted coup."
{{#rendered}}President Donald Trump is concerned the push for regulation of the rapidly developing artificial intelligence (AI) industry is another "hoax" akin to climate change, potentially stifling innovation and his push for American exceptionalism and leadership in the world.
"The AI Hoax being perpetrated by the Radical Left Dumocrats is reminiscent of their Global Warming Scam of not so long ago, where everyone was going to die from extreme heat," Trump wrote Monday night on Truth Social. "What happened? MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!"
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