President Donald Trump said the United States must press ahead in artificial intelligence development because whoever wins the technology race wins overall. He made the remarks Sunday while speaking to reporters at his Doonbeg golf resort in Ireland during the Irish Open.

"We're leading China in AI. We're the most sophisticated country in the world, and frankly, I want to keep it that way because whoever wins AI wins," Trump said. He added that some guardrails could be put in place but dismissed many warnings as coming from negative forces raising scenarios that will not happen.

Trump's comments came amid recent calls from technology executives for a slowdown in AI progress. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei issued an essay Saturday urging companies to pace the development of advanced models and allow independent evaluators inside firms. OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and xAI chief executive Elon Musk expressed support for the idea of reducing risks.

The president framed the issue as a national security competition with China rather than a matter primarily of safety regulation. He noted medical breakthroughs already emerging from the technology and argued that excessive alarmism could hand an advantage to adversaries.

House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed the emphasis on avoiding a moratorium, stating that China would overtake the United States if development paused. Trump has consistently highlighted the United States current edge in AI capabilities and the importance of preserving it.

Industry leaders have raised concerns about potential misuse in cyberattacks or loss of human control over advanced systems. Trump acknowledged the possibility of reasonable measures but maintained that the focus should remain on American leadership in the field.

The exchange highlights ongoing tensions between rapid technological advancement and calls for caution as AI capabilities accelerate.