Anthropic’s CEO voiced concerns Monday about the Trump administration’s approach to export restrictions on advanced AI chips, advocating for stricter controls as the company makes its presence known in Washington.
The AI firm’s outspoken chief executive, Dario Amodei, warned that some government officials are “doing the wrong things on chip export controls,” underscoring national security concerns.
“What disturbs me sometimes is I think there are some elements of the government, some government officials who are not aware, who don’t seem to get it, who still think this is an economic race to diffuse our technology to different parts of the world, and not an attempt to build the most powerful technology the world has ever seen,” Amodei said Monday in D.C.
“Under those conditions, I actually think the best thing to do is to speak openly,” he added. “We need to have an open debate. Because I think right now, some of the elements in government don’t get it, and are doing exactly the wrong things, like doing the wrong things on chip export controls.”
After initially restricting chip sales to China, the Trump administration reversed course, allowing Nvidia and AMD to sell higher-end chips to Beijing. The industry has underscored that these are not its most advanced chips while arguing sales are key to keeping China dependent on U.S. technology.
President Trump has made exporting American technology a key centerpiece of his AI agenda, calling for the development of full-stack AI export packages in his action plan unveiled in July.
However, Amodei argued for a more cautious approach to chip exports.
“Imagine you were to plop down a country of geniuses and put it under the control of one of the existing states, you were to put under the control of the United States of America, or you would put it under the control of China or Russia,” he said Monday.
“I think the world would go in very different directions if you did these two things. And I think we have a strong interest in the interest of this country, and I would argue in the interest of humanity, that it should be here and not there. Chips are the single ingredient where we most have an advantage,” Amodei added.
Kate Jensen, the company’s head of sales and partnerships, also took a swing at the administration’s chip policy.
“American companies like Anthropic and other labs are really pushing the frontiers of what’s possible with AI,” she said. “But other countries, particularly China, are moving even faster than we are on adoption. They are integrating AI in government services, industrial processes and citizen interactions at massive scale.”
“We cannot afford to develop the world’s most powerful technology and then be slow to deploy it,” Jensen continued. “That would be like developing semiconductor technology and letting other countries have all the chips.”
Anthropic has taken on a unique role in the AI landscape, as Amodei has become a prominent voice within the industry in highlighting what he views as the potential consequences of AI development.
In addition to advocating for stronger chip export controls, he also called for transparency requirements for AI models and efforts to “cushion the blow” of likely job displacement. He has previously warned the technology could eliminate as much as half of entry-level white-collar jobs.
