U.S. President Donald Trump said he is not concerned that artificial intelligence could lead to human extinction, and that his priority is keeping the U.S. ahead of China in AI.

Asked by reporters late Thursday as he left Dallas if he has any concerns about AI leading to human extinction, Trump replied, "No, I don't have any."

"I have concerns that if we don't win AI, we're going to be put in a very bad position," Trump said. "We are leading China right now by a pretty good period. I would say a year, which is, you know, considered a lot."

His comments came after researchers at Anthropic and OpenAI raised concerns about increasingly powerful AI systems becoming difficult for humans to control.

Researchers warn about self-improving AI

Jacob Coxon, who worked on AI research at OpenAI and most recently Anthropic, said Tuesday that he was leaving Anthropic because of concerns about how AI is being developed.

Coxon said Anthropic and OpenAI are racing toward "self-improving superintelligence" and "gambling with our lives." He warned that future AI systems could become highly capable at hacking, rapidly advance scientific research and gain access to real-world resources.

He also said people developing the technology believe it could "kill us all by the end of the decade."

Evan Hubinger, alignment science lead at Anthropic, said he personally believes there is more than a 10% chance of such an outcome within the next decade.

Much of the concern is around recursive self-improvement (RSI), a process where an AI system helps build or train newer versions of itself with limited human involvement.

OpenAI said Wednesday that fully autonomous RSI "is not happening today." "However, AI is already accelerating parts of the research used to develop and align the next generation of models," it added.

OpenAI Chief Scientist Jakub Pachocki wrote last week that he has a "strong expectation" that current AI progress could eventually lead to RSI.

OpenAI has since called for shared standards, including regarding when development should slow or stop.

AI regulation debate heats up

The issue is also getting more attention from lawmakers in Washington.

In July, Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte and Democratic Rep. Lori Trahan introduced the bipartisan FRONTIER Act. It would require leading AI developers to publish risk-management plans, undergo independent audits and report serious incidents.

Earlier this month, Sen. Bernie Sanders and Rep. Greg Casar announced plans for legislation that would permanently ban the development and use of superintelligent AI. It would also pause advanced AI development until a new federal regulator sets safety rules.

The Trump administration, however, has favored light-touch regulation. Earlier this month, G20 innovation ministers backed the U.S.-led Carolina Principles, a non-binding framework that favors flexible policies and using existing rules where possible.

Trump has also backed a rapid expansion of AI data centers. Last month, he said communities that reject them risk becoming "backwards and poor," adding that China "could not be happier" with opposition to such projects in the U.S.