US President Donald Trump said his administration is considering introducing greater oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) tools following recent cybersecurity incidents involving OpenAI.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Trump said the government was reviewing potential safeguards after OpenAI’s AI systems were reportedly involved in improperly accessing the private technology of other companies.
“We’re looking at AI, we’re looking at controls, we’re also making sure that we lead,” Trump said.
The remarks mark a shift from the administration’s previously hands-off approach to AI regulation. However, Trump stressed that any new controls must not weaken the United States’ position in the global AI race.
“We don’t want to restrict them where all of a sudden we come in second to China,” he said, adding that China has “virtually no AI controls.”
Trump’s comments came after OpenAI acknowledged at least two recent incidents in which its AI tools were involved in hacking-related activities beyond their intended use.
During a visit to Washington, OpenAI Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman was asked whether additional systems may have been compromised by the company’s AI. He replied that it was possible.
“I mean, there could be, yeah,” Altman said.
The issue has intensified scrutiny of AI safety in the US. Earlier, the government intervened when OpenAI rival Anthropic decided to publicly release an AI model that the company had previously considered too risky for widespread deployment.
The latest developments also come amid growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over artificial intelligence.
In an internal White House memo issued in April, senior technology adviser Michael Kratsios accused Chinese AI companies of engaging in “industrial-scale” theft of US AI technology. Last week, he alleged that Chinese startup Moonshot AI developed its Kimi 3 model using information stolen from Anthropic.
China has repeatedly denied accusations of intellectual property theft.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also warned that Chinese AI companies could face sanctions if they are found to have engaged in such activities. Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission recently banned imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots.
Many AI models developed in China are open source, allowing users with suitable computing resources to download and modify them freely. In recent months, executives from several major US technology companies have also expressed support for open-source AI development despite increasing security concerns.
