Washington — The rapid growth of artificial intelligence (AI) and its potential risks have intensified debate in the technology community. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for measures to slow the pace of advanced AI development and strengthen safety protocols, while OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has echoed the need for greater caution and coordinated safety efforts.
Amodei, speaking on Saturday, proposed that the development of advanced AI, or “frontier models,” be somewhat slowed and that independent safety audits be implemented. He argued that AI capabilities are increasing quickly and that safety systems need more time to keep pace.
Altman agreed that AI progress should continue but that companies must better coordinate for safety. He supported keeping the development pace somewhat restrained, describing it as a way to responsibly advance AI rather than halt it.
Former President Donald Trump has opposed calls for additional government “guardrails” on AI. Trump said the United States already has sufficient criminal and regulatory powers to control and penalise AI companies if necessary. He dismissed concerns about AI and data centres as a “SICK conspiracy” and warned that such measures would benefit China.
Experts remain divided over the potential dangers of AI. Some believe that highly capable AI could be misused in cyber attacks, bioweapon research, and other serious activities, while others see no broad scientific consensus on the likelihood or timeline of AI systems causing global catastrophe. The debate raises the question of whether the global AI race should be accelerated or slowed to strengthen safety measures. For now, industry leaders like Amodei and Altman are calling for caution, whereas the Trump administration appears to prioritize American leadership and competition in AI development.
