Trump’s made his big call on AI. Humanity’s fate may ride on him being right

President Donald Trump met tech executives at the White House on Tuesday to discuss artificial intelligence, and he responded to mounting alarm about the technology by announcing a new label. He said the name had officially changed to "SI," which he explained stands for "Super." Trump also said he would not allow research to slow, and that the companies had signed a pledge to "self-police." The gathering came hours after Reuters obtained a prospectus for an Anthropic public offering in which the company warned that its models could pose a "catastrophic or existential risk to humanity.", according to CNN.

CNN argues the president's stance could look prescient if the fears prove overblown, since he frames AI as a race against China and says heavy regulation could hurt an industry vital to economic growth. Yet it notes he waves off worries about the technology as a Democratic "hoax," even though a CNN/SSRS survey last week found 75% of Americans are fearful or worried about its growth and 71% want more federal regulation.

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Trump alone had the standing to assemble the executives. CNN says the president also faces political exposure: data centers are being blamed for higher electricity bills, which feed voter frustration over affordability heading into the midterms, and any serious AI-driven crisis would fall on him. It also questions whether rival tech leaders will cooperate out of "a love for our country," an assumption it regards as risky.

Summarized by PolitiKool from CNN’s reporting. Read the full story at CNN →