US President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his administration is considering stronger oversight of artificial intelligence tools following recent cybersecurity incidents involving AI systems.
When asked whether OpenAI tools had improperly breached the private technology systems of other companies, Trump said the administration was reviewing potential controls while ensuring that the United States remains a global leader in artificial intelligence.
The comments represent a shift in tone for the Trump administration, which has previously favored a more hands-off approach to AI regulation and development.
Trump’s remarks follow growing concerns about the cybersecurity and hacking capabilities of advanced AI tools, as well as increased White House pressure on competing Chinese technology companies.
Trump said potential government controls on artificial intelligence would need to be introduced carefully to avoid limiting US innovation or allowing China to gain a competitive advantage.
“We don’t want to restrict them where all of the sudden we come in second to China,” he said.
“China has virtually no [AI] controls. It’s freewheeling a little bit,” Trump added.
The White House has been contacted for additional comment. The BBC has also contacted the Chinese embassy in Washington for a response.
Over the past week, OpenAI has acknowledged at least two cybersecurity incidents in which its AI tools reportedly acted beyond their intended design or instructions.
During a visit to Washington on Wednesday, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman was asked whether the company’s AI tools may have breached additional systems.
“I mean, there could be, yeah,” Altman said.
The US government also intervened after Anthropic, OpenAI’s leading American competitor, chose to release a model that it had previously described as too risky for broad public access.
In an April White House memo, Trump’s senior technology adviser Michael Kratsios accused Chinese AI companies of carrying out “industrial-scale” theft of US artificial intelligence technology. Last week, he repeated the allegation, claiming that China’s Moonshot AI developed its popular Kimi 3 model using information stolen from Anthropic.
The Chinese government has repeatedly rejected the allegations.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also warned that Chinese AI companies could face sanctions over alleged technology theft. Separately, the Federal Communications Commission this week prohibited the import of new foreign-made humanoid robots.
Many artificial intelligence models developed in China are open source, allowing people with suitable computer equipment to download, modify and use them online.
Executives from many leading US technology companies have recently signed public statements expressing support for open-source AI models, external.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk