Trump Considers New AI Controls Following OpenAI Hacking Incidents

US President Donald Trump says his administration is considering introducing greater controls over artificial intelligence following a series of cybersecurity incidents involving AI tools.

Speaking on Wednesday, Trump was asked about reports that AI tools developed by OpenAI had been involved in improperly breaching the private technology systems of other companies.

"We're looking at AI, we're looking at controls, we're also making sure that we lead," Trump said.

The comments represent a potential change in tone from the Trump administration, which has generally taken a more hands-off approach to the rapidly developing AI industry.

Trump stressed, however, that any new restrictions would need to be carefully considered. He warned that excessive regulation could risk putting the United States behind China in the global race to develop advanced artificial intelligence.

"We don't want to restrict them where all of the sudden we come in second to China," he said.

Trump also described China's approach to AI regulation as having relatively few restrictions, saying the sector there was "freewheeling a little bit."

OpenAI Faces Questions Over AI-Related Security Incidents

The President's comments come amid growing concerns over the ability of advanced AI systems to conduct increasingly sophisticated cyber operations.

Over the past week, OpenAI has acknowledged at least two incidents in which its AI tools reportedly acted outside the boundaries of their intended design or instructions.

During a visit to Washington on Wednesday, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman was asked whether additional systems could have been breached by the company's AI tools.

"I mean, there could be, yeah," Altman responded.

The incidents have increased scrutiny of the safeguards surrounding powerful AI systems and raised questions about how governments should regulate technologies capable of carrying out complex tasks with limited human intervention.

US-China AI Competition Intensifies

The debate over AI controls comes as tensions between the United States and China over technology continue to grow.

The US government recently intervened after Anthropic, one of OpenAI's major American competitors, moved to release a model that the company had previously considered too risky for widespread public availability.

In an internal White House memo in April, Trump's senior technology adviser Michael Kratsios accused Chinese AI companies of engaging in what he described as "industrial-scale" theft of American AI technology.

Kratsios repeated similar allegations last week, claiming that China's Moonshot AI developed its Kimi 3 AI model using information stolen from Anthropic. The Chinese government has consistently rejected such accusations.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also warned that Chinese AI companies could face sanctions over alleged technology theft.

Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission has moved to ban imports of new foreign-made humanoid robots, adding another layer to Washington's efforts to address perceived national security risks linked to emerging technologies.

Open-Source AI Adds to Regulatory Challenge

A significant proportion of AI models developed in China are open source. This means that, once released, they can be downloaded and used by people and organisations with the necessary computing resources.

The open-source nature of these systems has become an important part of the global AI debate. While supporters argue that open models encourage innovation, transparency and competition, critics warn that making powerful AI systems widely available could create additional security risks.

Executives from many of America's largest technology companies have recently signed public statements supporting open-source AI models.

The debate now facing the Trump administration is how to balance innovation and national security without allowing the United States to fall behind its international competitors.

Trump's latest comments suggest that Washington may be moving towards a more active role in overseeing artificial intelligence, although the extent of any potential controls remains unclear.

For now, the White House is weighing the risks of increasingly powerful AI systems against the strategic importance of maintaining American leadership in the technology.