Mr. Trump signed a 'binding ethics' agreement during lunch with the AI billionaire
"The world's top leaders signed and I also signed that document as President of the United States. It is truly a form of protection," US President Trump told reporters after lunch at the White House on September 29, adding that the White House is considering building a 10-person committee to oversee the AI industry.
According to Politico, the President said that AI leaders have assured that protections for models are being implemented, despite recently announced cases of agents escaping control and attacking external systems.
"I'm seeing a very strong spirit of self-management," he said.
The seating chart posted by Mr. Trump on social networks before the event shows Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and SpaceX boss Elon Musk sitting on either side of the US President, followed by Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. On the opposite side is Vice President JD Vance.
Other people present included Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Anthropic co-founder Tom Brown, OpenAI president Greg Brockman and many senior officials in the US government. Apple CEO John Ternus did not appear on the guest list.
Specific terms of the agreement have not been announced, but it signals that the Trump administration has recognized growing concerns about AI. The move also contrasts with stalled discussions in the US Congress on developing regulations to control AI.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the deal's framework is based on companies maintaining "robust internal controls," with risk assessment processes, third-party inspections and management reviewing the results of inspections. "This is not the only thing we will do. It is a start and a document that the whole industry will agree on," he said.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei reaffirmed concerns about AI, saying that regulations to control the dangers of this technology are still being discussed. "We all have to work together to make sure we can win and do it safely. If we do it right, if we coordinate with the President of the United States and everyone here, we can win safely," he said.
US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson said that the event was an important step to reach consensus between the government and the AI industry. "Top leaders sat down and discussed," he said, emphasizing that the White House will lead the development of this technology.