US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has told AI executives seeking regulation from Washington to slow the development of advanced models themselves and take responsibility for the risks they create.
Speaking on The Axios Show on October 3, Bessent responded to a question about frontier-lab leaders publicly asking for AI regulation.
“Well, then they should slow down,” Bessent said. He then compared the executives to Hannibal Lecter, saying: “It's kind of like Hannibal Lecter: stop me before I kill again.”
Who has called for action
The comments followed September calls from Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and xAI's Elon Musk to slow work on the most advanced AI models.
Their positions place industry leaders at the centre of a debate over whether companies developing frontier systems should seek new government rules while continuing to advance the technology.
Bessent's response challenges that approach. His remarks put the emphasis on the AI industry to address its own risks rather than asking Washington to intervene while development continues.
Why the remarks matter
The exchange highlights a tension within the AI industry. Some executives have sought slower progress on the most advanced models, while Bessent argues that companies asking for limits should first reduce the pace of their own work.
The comments also connect regulation with corporate responsibility. Rather than treating government oversight as the immediate answer, Bessent said AI companies should own their risks and find solutions.
Conclusion
Bessent's remarks sharpen the disagreement over AI regulation: companies seeking government limits on advanced models, he argued, should also slow down and address the risks themselves.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Who made the remarks?
Scott Bessent, the US Treasury Secretary, made the remarks.
Q. Where did Bessent speak?
He spoke on The Axios Show.
Q. When did he make the comments?
He made them on October 3.
Q. Which AI leaders were mentioned?
The material names Dario Amodei of Anthropic, Sam Altman of OpenAI and Elon Musk of xAI.
Q. What did those executives call for?
They called for slowing work on the most advanced AI models.
