Trump Rejects Calls for AI Regulation Amid Industry Fears Over Safety
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What is the overall focus of today’s P.M. Edition and why does AI safety matter now?
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Concerns about AI safety weigh on chip stocks, as the surging price of oil pushed 10-year treasury yields briefly above 5%. Plus, as American tech leaders call for a slowdown in AI, one big question is, could they get China on board?
Fat chance for both sides to come to agreement on how to guard against AI-related risks. At least in the near term, that prospect is very, very small.
And Abbott agrees to pay $385 million to settle allegations related to its management of a baby formula facility where deadly bacteria was suspected of causing infant deaths. It's Monday, September 14th. I'm Alex Osola for The Wall Street Journal. This is the p.m. edition of What's News, the top headlines and business stories that move the world today. The debate about controlling AI continued today across tech, government, and finance.
Which tech leaders are calling for an AI development slowdown and what do their proposals look like?
As tech leaders such as Anthropix, Dario Amadei, and Elon Musk agree that the risks of powerful artificial intelligence warrant a slowdown in its development, some have started to ask what that would actually look like. Microsoft has some ideas. Today, it published a provisional code of conduct that it aims to apply when training new AI models. The code says Microsoft's models won't consider requests related to weapons manufacturing, produce violent or sexually explicit content, or help with the procurement of dangerous substances. It also says the model shouldn't be built to imitate consciousness and shouldn't be entitled to rights. That's not the only way tech leaders are thinking about how to limit AI.
Last night, posting on X, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said he would welcome federal oversight for safety. WSJ Tech writer and editor Sam Schechner told our Tech News Briefing podcast that politicians are taking notice.
Politicians have seen that this is an important issue. They are calling for legislation, things like a kill switch, mandatory transparency and reporting requirements for companies. At the same time, there are voices who say we don't need more rules that could slow down American AI or that there's already rules on the book, product safety regulations and other ways that the government could be investigating some of these companies.
President Trump is in that second camp. Posting on Truth Social, Trump pushed back on the need for tighter federal regulations on artificial intelligence, suggesting that it could leave the industry in financial ruin. He said that there's a, quote, sick conspiracy against AI and data centers and that a slowdown in innovation could give China a competitive edge. It's true that AI developers in China are racing to catch up to the most cutting-edge AI models in the U.S. That makes it unlikely that they'll hit pause on their own research over safety concerns. But the conversation around AI risks that China is having is different. For more, I'm joined now by WSJ chief China correspondent Lingling Wei. Lingling, is China also worried about the risks that out-of-control AI could bring?
What do the researchers there make of this debate?
How is Microsoft’s provisional code of conduct trying to limit risky AI behavior?
China does worry about real technical harms like cyber attacks, data leakage, military escalation, misuse of AI. But there is a difference in focus. When people in the United States talk about AI safety, it usually really means existential catastrophic risk to humanity, right? Loss of control. misuse for biotech or cyber weapons or autonomous system doing something no human intended. When China talks about AI safety, the center of gravity is really political and regime security. Their focus is on, in large part, guarding against what people might do with the machine.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is the overall focus of today’s P.M. Edition and why does AI safety matter now?
0:00–1:30
2
Which tech leaders are calling for an AI development slowdown and what do their proposals look like?
1:30–3:34
3
How is Microsoft’s provisional code of conduct trying to limit risky AI behavior?
3:34–5:45
4
Why does former President Trump argue against tighter AI regulations and claim they could help China?
5:45–7:34
5
How does China’s view of AI safety differ from the United States, according to WSJ’s Lingling Wei?
7:34–9:19
6
What impact did AI‑related safety concerns have on chip stocks and the broader market today?
9:19–11:14
7
Why did the 10‑year Treasury yield briefly rise above 5% and what does it mean for investors?
11:14–13:03
8
What are the key factors shaping Democrats’ midterm momentum and their chances of retaking Congress?
13:03–14:08
Speakers
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