David Sacks, a senior technology adviser to President Trump, has dismissed fears that artificial intelligence poses an imminent threat to humanity, arguing that development should continue provided companies make the technology safe.
Mr Sacks said concerns about advanced AI had become “a panic” and urged political leaders and the public to assess the risks more calmly. “I think this is a moment to really calm down a little bit and look at the issue rationally,” he said.
His comments come amid warnings from researchers and technology executives that increasingly powerful AI systems could cause catastrophic harm. Jacob Coxon, a former Anthropic researcher, has accused Anthropic and OpenAI of “gambling with our lives” by developing self-improving systems described as superintelligence.
Dario Amodei, Anthropic’s chief executive, has also said there are “real dangers” associated with AI and claimed that the industry had misled the public about the risks posed by the technology.
AI companies must ensure products are safe, says Sacks
Mr Sacks said responsibility for protecting the public rested primarily with Anthropic, OpenAI and other developers of large language models, rather than with the Government.
“First and foremost, it is on them to make their products safe,” he said. “They should tell us how they should do that. If they can’t do that, they should step aside for people who can do that.”
He rejected the idea that companies should suggest government intervention was necessary to prevent harm. Referring to Mr Amodei, Mr Sacks said: “Why are you acting like this is something that you can’t control? If you can’t control it, then don’t do it.”
Mr Sacks added that the risks could be managed and said he wanted AI development to proceed safely. He is co-chair of Mr Trump’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, having stepped down as the president’s AI and cryptocurrency czar in May.
Warning over China gaining an advantage
Mr Amodei, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and other technology leaders have called for the development of AI to be slowed amid concerns about superintelligence, a theoretical stage at which systems could outperform humans at every cognitive task.
Some researchers believe that milestone could be reached within one to 10 years. However, Mr Sacks said pausing development would risk allowing China to pull ahead of the United States as it closes the gap with American AI companies.
“If we just pause all development, they will race ahead,” he said. “It’s pretty clear they’re not going to stop.”
Mr Trump has also dismissed calls for stronger safeguards around AI, saying the industry is already sufficiently regulated. Mr Sacks, a venture capitalist who has invested in companies including Airbnb, SpaceX and Facebook, echoed the president’s opposition to delaying the development of frontier AI models.
