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Scott Bessent Pushes Back on AI Slowdown Calls as Safety Warnings Intensify

October 3, 2026 at 07:06 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Foundation Models
AI Agents

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has pushed back against calls to slow advanced AI development, arguing in a new Axios Show appearance that the United States cannot afford to pause while China continues racing ahead. The remarks put one of the Trump administration's most visible economic officials at the center of a widening fight between AI-safety warnings and Washington's push for technological dominance.

Oct. 3, 2026 · U.S. AI policy

Washington resists an AI pause

Scott Bessent framed rapid AI development as a strategic race with China while researchers warn that self-improving systems could compress a year of progress into weeks.

90+

Federal AI Action Plan policy actions

Plan pillars: innovation, infrastructure, diplomacy and security

Millions

Potential AI research workers in one scenario

Policy scale, drawn to proportion

pillars

90+

policy actions

The administration's baseline is acceleration, not a broad pause.

Strategic case

Supporters see fast AI development as essential to U.S. leadership and economic strength.

Safety concern

Researchers warn that automated R&D could leave governments little time to respond.

The loop under debate

Model R&D tasks→Automated research→Faster successors

The unresolved question is whether oversight can keep pace if models begin improving the research process itself.

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