President Donald Trump has a plan for keeping an eye on artificial intelligence: let the Justice Department handle it, and otherwise stay out of the way.

Speaking Tuesday to world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, Trump said the government would step in if AI companies create serious problems, but he rejected new regulations that he argues could slow U.S. innovation.

Trump Pairs DOJ Oversight With Light Regulation

"We're going to watch it closely through the Department of Justice," Trump said, according to Reuters. "I'm not going to stifle growth of something that will be bigger than the Industrial Revolution."

That's not just talk. A June executive order already directs the attorney general to prioritize existing federal criminal laws against people who use AI to illegally access or damage computer systems, while rejecting mandatory licensing or pre-clearance requirements for AI models.

The administration has also pushed for a minimally burdensome national framework and created an AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state laws it considers inconsistent with federal policy. The approach reflects Trump's broader resistance to a centralized AI regulatory regime, which earlier administration officials described as incompatible with its pro-innovation strategy.

Public Concern Grows Over AI Safety

Trump's remarks land amid rising public anxiety. A Reuters/Ipsos poll released Tuesday found 73% of U.S. adults worried that AI companies are not doing enough to prevent catastrophic outcomes, while 55% supported slowing AI development. Seventy-three percent said safe and responsible development should take priority over global competitiveness.

The debate intensified after former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigned and warned that people building advanced AI "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." Anthropic researcher Evan Hubinger later put the risk of AI wiping out humanity within a decade above 10%, while saying present models pose low risk.

Trump has repeatedly rejected such warnings. Earlier this month, he said fears of AI taking over were "all a hoax" and argued that slowing development would benefit China.

White House Adds Targeted Security Guardrails

At the U.N., Trump also said the government would use "Super Intelligence" instead of "Artificial Intelligence" in official documents.

The administration has nevertheless paired its pro-growth stance with targeted security measures. A separate June national-security memorandum requires advanced AI used by defense and intelligence agencies to remain robust, controllable and subject to clear accountability.