Washington, Sep 28 (AP): President Donald Trump planned to have dinner late Sunday with Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei as debate over artificial intelligence safety and military use of AI continues to grow.
Trump told reporters after returning to Joint Base Andrews in Maryland that he planned to have dinner with Amodei at around 10 p.m. The meeting comes just two days after Anthropic suffered a setback in its legal challenge against the U.S. government over restrictions on its products for Defense Department work.
Trump Administration and Anthropic Clash Over AI
The dispute between Anthropic and the Pentagon began in February. Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth accused the company of posing a national security risk and designated Anthropic as a supply chain risk.
Amodei had resisted government demands, citing concerns that Anthropic’s AI technology could potentially be used for mass surveillance or autonomous armed drones.
A federal appeals court on Friday rejected Anthropic’s challenge to the government’s designation. The decision allows the Pentagon to continue removing Anthropic’s Claude AI models from its systems.
Dario Amodei Raises Concerns Over AI Safety
Trump has strongly supported artificial intelligence development and has repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping the United States ahead of China in the AI technology race.
Amodei, however, has called for greater caution in the rapid development of AI systems. Earlier this month, he argued that the industry should slow down development to give safety measures enough time to catch up.
He warned that within six to 12 months, AI systems could potentially become capable of leading large groups of AI agents that could take control of major parts of the internet.
Growing Concerns Over Powerful AI Systems
Concerns about AI safety are increasing both within the technology industry and among policymakers. New AI systems are becoming increasingly capable of solving complex problems, sometimes performing tasks that go beyond human abilities.
At the same time, experts and technology leaders have raised concerns about the possibility of AI systems behaving unpredictably or being used for harmful purposes.
The debate has also reached OpenAI. Its CEO recently told Fortune that the company would wait until next year to begin selling shares to investors on Wall Street, while continuing to focus on AI safety.
Trump-Amodei Meeting Comes at Key Moment
Trump’s planned dinner with Amodei comes at a significant moment in the debate over AI development, national security and military applications.
The meeting could provide an opportunity for discussions over the use of AI in defense, safety standards and the government’s concerns about Anthropic’s technology, although the details of their planned conversation were not immediately clear.
