Tech leaders sign AI self-regulation pledge

WASHINGTON

President Donald Trump poses for a photo as he speaks in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday Sept. 29, 2026, during a meeting with top executives of AI firms. (AP Photo)

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sept. 29 that technology executives had signed a voluntary agreement on artificial intelligence safeguards, describing their commitment to self-regulation as “morally binding.”

“They’re going to police themselves,” Trump told reporters after a White House meeting attended by Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, OpenAI President Greg Brockman and Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei.

The White House Accord is not legally enforceable, though the document leaves open the possibility of incorporating its measures into laws or regulations.

Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said the agreement includes “robust internal controls,” internal risk reviews, external audits and oversight by company boards.

He called it a starting point for industry-wide standards.

Elon Musk described the arrangement as “grading each other’s homework,” saying it was better than companies assessing only their own work.

In a separate executive order issued later that day, Trump directed federal agencies to use “Super Intelligence” and “SI” in place of “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” wherever legally permitted.

He had told reporters he preferred the term “because it’s not artificial.”

The meeting came as lawmakers face pressure to curb AI development over fears it could displace workers and escape human control.

OpenAI said on Sept. 28 it was holding back the planned release of its Astra 6.1 model after internal testing found it did not meet safety standards.

Trump has urged rapid AI development to outpace China and support economic growth. But the data centers needed to power the technology have become an issue in midterm election campaigns, with communities concerned about electricity bills and pressure on water and land.

The president said AI companies would support communities that hosted the facilities.

“They’ll help with their schools, they’ll help with their teachers,” he said.

Anthropic, meanwhile, warned of potential existential risks to humanity in the prospectus for its planned initial public offering, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 29.

“As the president has said, whoever wins AI wins. I think that’s very important,” Amodei said after the White House meeting.

“But I think the technology has very real risks, and the mechanism, how we address those risks, is still under discussion.”