Trump unveils voluntary AI safety pact with tech giants, skips binding regulation
President Trump announced that six major AI companies signed a voluntary self-policing safety agreement, opting against federal regulation while insisting the US is beating China on AI.
Following a meal with Big Tech leaders on Tuesday, President Donald Trump addressed journalist questions about new artificial intelligence announcements. He said his earlier claims that AI safety fears were a Democrat-invented "hoax" no longer apply, since the technology has now been renamed "Super Intelligence." He also dismissed concerns that the government isn't enforcing enough AI guardrails, arguing that US companies are "dominating China."
Rather than introducing federal AI regulations, Trump said the country now has "the smartest people in the world watching over each other."
Who signed the pledge
Six tech leaders — Google's Sundar Pichai, Anthropic's Dario Amodei, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI's Greg Brockman, xAI's Elon Musk, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang — signed the Joint Commitment On Frontier Responsibilities, described as a "morally binding" pledge under which companies self-regulate their AI technology using common-sense guidelines, with no stated consequences for violations.
What the executives said
All six signees gave press comments at Trump's request, framing the self-policing approach as a positive step for advancing AI, creating jobs, and easing public concerns about AI safety. Zuckerberg called the accord a historic first step that the whole industry could build on, aimed at giving Americans confidence in how the technology works. Brockman highlighted AI's potential to boost small businesses, scientific research, and drug development. Huang described the current period as the largest industrial buildout in history, creating a million jobs, and argued innovation and safety aren't in conflict. Pichai noted the industry must address risks while pointing to AI's contribution to GDP growth. Musk predicted an "age of abundance" with improved medical care for everyone, acknowledging jobs will evolve as a result. Amodei said AI carries real risks alongside its benefits, adding that the exact mechanism for addressing those risks is still being worked out.
