Much is being said right now about the dangers posed by AI and the possibility that it could ultimately wipe out humanity. Some exp erts, such as Evan Hubinger, Anthropic’s Alignment Science Lead and one of the AI industry’s leading safety researchers, have gone much further, warning publicly that there is more than a 10 percent chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.

When senior executives from some of the world’s leading AI companies met in San Francisco for Salesforce’s Dreamforce conference, held 15th–17th September 2026, they differed sharply over the seriousness of the risks posed by increasingly powerful AI and over how those risks should be managed. They did, however, share a fundamental belief: that the industry itself is capable of developing safeguards, testing systems, monitoring their behaviour and preventing or correcting dangerous failures. Where they differed was over how much restraint was necessary, who should impose it, and whether governments should intervene through new legislation and regulation.

The leading AI developers’ position is aligned with that of President Donald Trump, He wants AI to realise its full potential as quickly as possible and supports the industry’s drive to keep the AI race moving. Trump’s position is essentially this: let AI run; give developers the time, resources and freedom they need to take the technology to the next level. Trump, whose country is currently leading the AI race, has dismissed warnings about AI’s potential to destroy humanity as a “HOAX,” just as he has dismissed warnings about climate change despite the scientific evidence. He has also repeatedly argued that the US cannot afford to slow the development of AI while China is racing on. Just yesterday, before the United Nations he said: “I’m not going to stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution.” 

To Trump, AI is another strategic opportunity that his country cannot miss:........

© Middle East Monitor