September 24, if played right, could change everything
By Gary Marcus — via Substack
I’ll get to the significance of September 24th in a moment.
But first, this would be wild if true:
I’m told WH aides are advising Trump to give a national TV address in the next 72 hours, declare certain aspects of the AI race an “imminent threat to humanity,” and announce regulations pausing the things Tech companies want paused. 1)
— David Shuster (@DavidShuster) · on X
It’s probably a long shot, but as I write this, AI stocks are falling,
Public opinion is turning virulently anti-AI. A lot of folks are bailing on Trump; his old buddy Steve Bannon has run off to join Sanders in the opposition:
Axios: Ex-Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former Trump White House adviser Steve Bannon will join forces at an event on Tuesday to push for human-controlled AI.
— Annmarie Hordern (@annmarie) · on X
also just reported in the FT
Steve Bannon and Bernie Sanders unite in AI safety call ft.trib.al/W78fZu9
— Financial Times (@FT) · on X
So, yeah, Trump was all in on AI yesterday, but if the market keeps falling, or his own polls keep falling, and enough former allies turn on him, he might change his mind.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
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The most consequential decision of his presidency may be whether or not to make a deal with China around AI.
As I said here once before, I think if Trump plays his cards right, he could win a Nobel. Even Sam Altman thinks that.
Of course, the devil would be in the details. Today in The Economist I lay out a strategy, focused not on chip deals but on finding a way to collaborate on AI for good:
You can read the full essay here (free with registration, but paywalled).
One excerpt:
Trump and Xi speak September 24. AI is on the agenda. This is his shot.