US President Donald Trump is endorsing artificial intelligence as a transformative force for the U.S. economy, even as he admits he has not personally used popular AI tools. He framed AI as a net positive that will create jobs and drive innovation, pushing back against fears that the technology will lead to mass unemployment.
Donald Trump talks about AI
During an interview with NBC News, Donald Trump said he takes full responsibility for backing the rapid development of artificial intelligence during his presidency. While critics warn about job losses and rising energy costs linked to data centers, Trump argued that the long-term benefits will outweigh the risks.
“Everything’s on me as president,” Trump said. “It’ll be the greatest jobs producer, it’ll be the greatest military producer, it’ll be the greatest medical producer. There’ll be tremendous good, and there’ll be probably some bad, too,” he added.
When pressed by the host, who cited specific job cuts at companies like Amazon linked to AI efficiency, Trump pushed back. “No, no, it’s not killing. It’s going to make — it’s going to create a lot,” the president said. He argued that similar fears accompanied the rise of the internet and robotics, but the economy adapted and grew stronger.
Despite his strong endorsement of the technology’s potential, Trump revealed he is not a hands-on user of platforms like ChatGPT or Claude. “I haven’t really, but I know all about it,” he stated. His advocacy is based on a macroeconomic vision rather than personal experience with the consumer-facing tools shaping the current debate.
Trump’s confidence appears rooted in a belief in historical precedent and current economic indicators. “They said the internet’s going to — robots are going to kill jobs, everything is going to kill jobs,” he quipped. “And you end up, if you’re smart, doing great.” Trump added. He pointed to current high employment numbers as evidence of the economy’s resilience amidst technological change.
