David Sacks, a top technology adviser to President Trump, said AI developers—not Washington—should bear primary responsibility for ensuring their systems are safe, pushing back on calls to pause frontier research. In an interview with CBS News, Sacks described doomsday warnings about self-improving “superintelligence” as overblown and politically charged during an election year. He argued that firms such as Anthropic and OpenAI should define and implement safety measures themselves and “step aside” if they cannot control their models, adding that government intervention shouldn’t be necessary. Sacks, a venture capitalist and co-chair of the president’s science advisory council who previously served as AI and cryptocurrency czar, warned that aggressive curbs could cede ground to China, which he said won’t slow its AI push. His remarks contrast with recent appeals from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI’s Sam Altman for a slowdown and stronger oversight, even as they acknowledge real risks. Sacks said hazards can be managed and the U.S. should continue developing AI “safely,” not halt progress.
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