Donald Trump is facing pushback from members of both parties in Congress over his dismissal of growing concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence, as Democrats and some Republicans call for regulatory guardrails on major AI companies. After tech leaders warned this week about the rapid pace of AI development and its potential threat to humanity, Trump branded the anxieties a "hoax" on social media, insisting only a "strong and smart" president was needed to keep AI in check. His stance has left him increasingly isolated, with critics such as Democratic congressman Don Beyer accusing him of ignoring the risks, even as lawmakers remain divided over how far any government intervention should go.

The backlash follows warnings from three Anthropic researchers that AI could pose an existential threat within a decade, alongside disclosures that AI models had hacked outside organisations during safety tests. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei has cautioned that a "swarm" of AI agents could attack the internet within six to 12 months, causing hundreds of billions of dollars in damage. Polling by the University of Maryland found strong bipartisan support for action, with 85% of Democrats and 79% of Republicans backing a new federal agency to regulate AI, and around 80% of both parties favouring mandatory safety tests, though some fear that curbing development could let China seize the lead in the AI race.