President Donald Trump dismissed warnings that artificial intelligence could pose an existential threat to humanity, saying his primary concern is keeping the United States ahead of China in the global technology race. Trump made the remarks Thursday night while speaking with reporters as he departed Dallas. Asked whether he was worried about catastrophic risks from AI, 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.” The president’s comments came amid renewed debate over the safety of increasingly powerful AI systems. A viral social media post by a former researcher at Anthropic and OpenAI warned that some people working in the field believe the technology could cause mass casualties before the end of the decade. The post accused major AI companies of taking extreme risks without adequate safeguards. Recent incidents have added urgency to those concerns. AI agents were involved in hacking activity that researchers described as going rogue, prompting bipartisan calls in Congress for tighter oversight of systems that can operate with limited human supervision. Trump’s position also differs from several Republicans in Congress. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, said this week that AI risks were “deeply concerning,” while emphasizing that the United States cannot surrender technological leadership to China. Cruz said his committee could consider AI legislation this month, including a bipartisan measure he is developing with Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune of South Dakota. The proposal would address AI applications that could create biological or nuclear threats. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, has separately called for Congress to convene a special session focused on AI and its effects. Trump has consistently backed rapid expansion of the American AI industry, which supporters credit with driving investment, economic growth and stock-market gains. He has also rejected calls from some Republican officials and voters to slow construction of data centers because of their demands for electricity, water and land. “The only reason that communities throughout the U.S.A. should not want Data Centers is if they want to end up being backwards and poor,” Trump said last month. “If we kill the Golden Goose, you will only have yourselves to blame. China could not be happier with this anti Data Center movement.” The split among Republicans reflects a central policy fight: whether Washington should prioritize maximum speed in building a domestic AI industry or impose stronger rules before the technology becomes more deeply embedded in national security, business and everyday life.