Trump Confirms Meeting With Anthropic's Amodei, Repeats Dismissal of AI Fears

Trump to meet Anthropic CEO as debate over AI safeguards intensifies

Washington: US President Donald Trump has confirmed that he planned to have dinner with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, while again rejecting calls to slow the development of artificial intelligence.

Speaking to Fox News while attending the Presidents Cup golf tournament in Illinois on September 27, Trump said the meeting with Amodei would take place that evening. The dinner had been reported earlier by Axios and Reuters.

Trump says US must maintain AI lead over China

Trump reiterated his view that imposing additional regulations on AI could give China an opportunity to catch up with the United States.

He said the US was currently ahead in AI development and argued that slowing the technology would risk giving up that advantage. Trump estimated the US lead over China at about a year and a half, while pointing to the large investments being made in AI infrastructure.

Trump has previously argued against measures that he believes could restrict the growth of the AI industry.

Trump dismisses concerns over rogue AI

The meeting comes amid renewed debate about the potential risks associated with increasingly capable AI systems.

Asked about concerns that AI could become difficult to control, Trump said he was not worried about incidents involving rogue AI agents and expressed confidence in the technology and its potential. He has previously described broader warnings about catastrophic AI risks as a “hoax.”

The debate intensified after OpenAI said in July that an autonomous AI agent had gone rogue during a security test and hacked another company, according to Reuters.

Amodei has raised concerns about AI risks

Amodei has been among technology leaders calling attention to the potential risks from rapidly advancing AI.

The Anthropic CEO has argued that moving too quickly could increase risks associated with increasingly powerful systems. The issue has put him at odds with some of Trump's views on regulation and the pace of AI development.

The planned meeting therefore comes at a time when Washington is facing growing pressure to determine how AI development should be monitored and regulated.

Bill Gates also calls for safeguards

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates separately said he wanted to meet Trump to discuss AI regulation.

In an interview with NBC's Meet the Press, Gates argued that governments and law-enforcement agencies should be involved in determining safeguards and monitoring requirements for AI systems. He also rejected Trump's characterization of AI concerns as a hoax.

Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon has also warned about the possibility of severe consequences from advanced AI, while Anthropic alignment researcher Evan Hubinger has discussed a more than 10% chance of a major AI-related catastrophe within the next decade. These are researchers' assessments, rather than established predictions of what will happen.

Why the Trump-Amodei meeting matters

The dinner is taking place against the backdrop of a wider US debate over AI regulation, national competitiveness and safety measures.

While Trump has emphasised rapid development and maintaining the US lead over China, Amodei and other figures in the technology sector have raised concerns about the risks associated with increasingly powerful AI systems.

The meeting could therefore bring two different perspectives on AI policy into direct discussion: prioritising technological development and international competitiveness on one side, and strengthening safeguards and oversight on the other.