Story perspectives

Trump Rejects AI Safety Rules as Congress Pushes Legislation

By Drooid · Sep 16, 2026, 6:10 PM UTC · How we work

Center

AI Personhood Rejection

On September 15, 2026, President Donald Trump dismissed AI safety concerns and opposed regulation, while Anthropic and OpenAI called for a slowdown and guardrails.
The story highlights the stark split between Trump’s anti-regulation stance and bipartisan congressional efforts to advance AI safety legislation.
Microsoft AI researchers released a 15,000-word manifesto rejecting legal personhood for models.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell nearly 6% and Nvidia shares dropped 3.4% amid the debate.

Left

Regulation as Conspiracy

On September 15, 2026, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters he dismissed AI safety concerns and opposed regulation.
Critics warned his rejection of safeguards threatens public safety and widens technology inequities significantly.
Trump claimed regulation is a “sick conspiracy” that would only benefit China explicitly.
His administration lifted export controls on Nvidia’s advanced chips used to train large AI models.

History

Historical Context

After Google’s 2018 AI Principles—prompted by a petition from over 2,000 engineers and a $100 million safety fund—U.S. administrations alternated between voluntary guidelines (Obama’s 2019 AI Initiative, Trump’s 2020 OMB memo) and limited legislation. In September 2026 President Donald Trump rejected new AI regulation, a stance echoed by industry leaders such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Microsoft, heightening market volatility.

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AI Personhood Rejection

On September 15, 2026, President Donald Trump dismissed AI safety concerns and opposed regulation, while Anthropic and OpenAI called for a slowdown and guardrails.
The story highlights the stark split between Trump’s anti-regulation stance and bipartisan congressional efforts to advance AI safety legislation.
Microsoft AI researchers released a 15,000-word manifesto rejecting legal personhood for models.
The Philadelphia Semiconductor Index fell nearly 6% and Nvidia shares dropped 3.4% amid the debate.

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