OpenAI CEO calls for AI pacing as Trump insists he's not downplaying risk

Vice President JD Vance called the warnings from AI leaders a "Trojan horse."

President Donald Trump said Monday that warnings from top tech leaders about the dangers of artificial intelligence are a "HOAX" -- adding that there is a "SICK conspiracy" going on around AI.

"AI taking over the World, destroying Humanity, and all other things bad, is a HOAX," Trump wrote in a social media post.

In a series of posts on Monday, Trump claimed the U.S. is dominating other countries -- including China -- in AI development, adding that there is a "SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China."

"Don’t kill the Golden Goose!" Trump wrote in one Monday social media post.

His comments came after Sam Altman, the chief executive of OpenAI, joined others in the artificial intelligence industry in saying that his company would welcome a slower development pace for AI to ensure that the technology's capabilities don't "get ahead of alignment and monitoring." Lawmakers are also calling for urgent action on the growing threat of AI -- with House Speaker Mike Johnson telling reporters Monday that the president is planning to schedule a meeting with AI executives this week.

Trump pushed back on the calls for action, saying "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!"

Vice President JD Vance said Monday that the administration is "concerned" about the technology, but any regulations that may occur need to be done "smartly" -- with the current situation feeling like a "Trojan horse."

"It's something that we're concerned by, but we want to make sure that we actually regulate smartly, and we're thoughtful about the risk here. So, there are obviously risks to AI. There are some benefits to AI. I have to say, just personally, I feel a little bit weird about the fact that you have so many Frontier AI tech companies kind of coming to the government and begging the government to regulate them — it feels a little bit to me like a bit of a Trojan horse," Vance said.

Last week, Jacob Coxon -- a former safety researcher two prominent tech companies, Anthropic and OpenAI -- issued a warning about AI as he announced his resignation from Anthropic.

Coxon said in a social media post that neither Anthropic nor OpenAI "is acting responsibly. They are racing straight to self-improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives." He also highlighted the fear within the industry about the potential for an AI takeover.

"The people building AI earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade," Coxon wrote.

Altman said late on Sunday that his company would welcome a federal framework "that sets consistent safety requirements for frontier AI."

"But we do not believe we need to wait for an anti-trust exemption or legislation to begin the work of providing this confidence," Altman said on social media. "Consistent rules to manage frontier risk so that we can maximize the benefits are a good idea (and we are excited by ideas like independent auditors)."