Donald Trump on Monday reached out during an industrial meeting with Jensen Huang, the CEO of NVIDIA, to defend the development of artificial intelligence. This call took place during the All-In Summit, and Huang put it on speakerphone. In this conversation, Trump described concerns about AI security as a 'trick' and emphasized that the United States must outpace China in AI innovation and development.
Trump's Concerns and Views
In this conversation, Trump said: 'Robots will not replace us. Artificial intelligence will not replace the rest of the world. All of this is a trick.' He added that critics act in favor of those who do not want AI development to happen, and these individuals could be political or even Chinese.
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Additionally, Trump referred to data centers that are politically unpopular, describing them as 'great' and stating that these centers create wealth for people and states. He called these centers the 'oil of the next 20 to 25 years' and said they are bigger than the internet and AI. However, he also mentioned caution in this area, stating that people should be 'a little cautious' and proceed 'carefully.'
Reactions from the AI Industry
This call between Trump and Huang occurred as AI industry leaders have called for a slowdown in the development of this technology. Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, wrote in a recent article that AI development requires safety measures. This opinion was quickly echoed by Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, and Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI. Moreover, after researchers at leading AI companies resigned and raised safety concerns, some described this issue as an existential threat to humanity.
Former President Barack Obama last week urged Democrats to prioritize the development of an AI program. However, Trump has firmly defended his support for AI development. In a series of social media posts on Monday, Trump described concerns about AI as a 'sick conspiracy' and a 'trick.'
In this call, Trump assumed that Huang agreed with him on AI development, and Huang confirmed this. He told Trump: 'We will ensure that everyone wins in the AI race in America. Every industry, every company, every state, and every person.'
The CEO of NVIDIA, who convinced Trump last year not to send National Guard forces to San Francisco, is a member of Trump's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. He has lobbied for the global sale of NVIDIA products, which lawmakers have said could benefit China and undermine U.S. leadership in technology. His conversation with Trump took place as Mike Johnson, the Speaker of the House, stated that industry leaders should be at the forefront of safety issues. A source familiar with the matter told the media that a meeting between Trump and industry leaders is being planned, but the exact timing has not yet been determined.
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