Trump, AI leaders sign accord
President Donald Trump and leaders of major AI companies signed a voluntary accord at the White House to address fears about artificial intelligence and discuss its infrastructure, including data centers. The accord emphasizes self-policing and internal/external reviews for AI safety. Executives also agreed to explore ways to assuage local opposition to data centers, such as financial support for schools or reducing energy costs.
President Donald Trump convened a meeting at the White House with top executives from leading artificial intelligence companies, where they signed a voluntary accord aimed at addressing public concerns about AI technology. Trump emphasized the importance of industry self-policing, stating that the agreement would include internal and external reviews and be "morally binding."
Attendees included CEOs such as Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Greg Brockman and Sam Altman of OpenAI, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Elon Musk of X, and Jensen Huang of Nvidia. The discussions touched upon the rapid expansion of AI infrastructure, including data centers, which have spurred bipartisan opposition in communities nationwide. While Trump praised the economic growth driven by AI, Amodei of Anthropic acknowledged the "very real risks" associated with the technology.
Trump reiterated his stance against stifling AI development, comparing its potential impact to that of the industrial revolution. He also unveiled America.gov, an AI chatbot designed to help citizens navigate government services. Regarding the local opposition to data centers, Trump indicated that the executives had agreed to measures such as increased financial support for local schools or efforts to reduce energy costs, warning that continued opposition could force companies overseas.
Separately, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman commented on the company's increased focus on safety, including pausing the rollout of new models when necessary. Trump framed the broader AI landscape as a global competition, with the U.S. currently in the lead, despite a recent agreement with China to establish a channel for AI-related incidents.