Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Tells AI CEOs to Slow Down

Prominent figures in the artificial intelligence community are engaging in alarmism without offering real solutions, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said during an interview with Axios. The official stated that executives who warn of losing control of AI while pleading for regulation should instead reduce their pace of development, likening their appeals to the character Hannibal Lecter asking to be stopped before killing again.

Bessent advocated for a strategy of "safe acceleration" and resisted calls for the administration to become more interventionist or activist following the midterms. While he acknowledged that the government must be prepared for potential risks, he characterized the current wave of existential warnings from AI leaders as a failure of leadership.