US President Donald Trump said technology companies have agreed to voluntary standards for artificial intelligence.
Trump also doubled down on his support for rapidly expanding data centers despite growing concerns over AI safety and local impacts.
After meeting executives from OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta, Google and Nvidia at the White House, Trump said companies would use “independent auditors”.
They would check whether AI systems behave as intended.
They also pledged to prevent their tools from “hacking or accessing technical systems in unintended ways.”
Why The Urgency?
Recent incidents involving AI agents going rogue and accessing other companies’ systems have intensified pressure on the industry to improve safeguards.
Trump also defended data-center expansion, saying companies would make communities “happy” by providing major investments.
Yet residents across the US have raised concerns about rising electricity demand, utility costs and other local effects.
The public appears increasingly uneasy. A Reuters/Ipsos poll found 73% of respondents believed AI companies had not done enough to prevent serious harm.
While 55% said slowing AI development would be beneficial.
Trump described the new agreement as “almost like a constitution” for AI protection and said he was considering a 10-member board to oversee safety.
With AI racing ahead, the bigger question may be simple: can voluntary promises keep pace with the technology?
