Senate Minority Leader Schumer Criticizes Trump Administration Over Silence on AI Risk Briefing

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) criticized the Trump administration for failing to respond to a request for a classified briefing on artificial intelligence risks. Schumer took to X on Tuesday to express his frustration, stating that the Senate has heard "nothing but crickets" regarding his call for the briefing over the past week.

The briefing request specifically focused on the potential dangers of AI, including cybersecurity threats and the flow of AI chips and manufacturing equipment to China. Schumer suggested that the administration's silence might be influenced by conflicts of interest, noting that the Trump family has "hundreds of millions (if not billions) tied up in the AI economy."

This criticism comes a week after Schumer and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) pushed back against President Trump's dismissal of AI safety concerns. Schumer emphasized that the U.S. cannot afford to ignore the potential dangers of AI, regardless of the intelligence of the current president.

The push for the briefing was renewed earlier this month, when Schumer called for an All-Senators classified briefing on AI risks. He urged the administration to explain its frontier AI testing framework, efforts to prevent AI chips and semiconductor equipment from reaching China, and plans to protect the U.S. from AI-enabled cyberattacks.

In response, President Trump stated that the Justice Department could intervene if AI companies create serious problems, while opposing new regulations he believes could hinder U.S. innovation. At the U.N., Trump also said federal documents would use the term "Super Intelligence" instead of "Artificial Intelligence."

Trump has disclosed more than 20,000 stock trades over the past year, with holdings heavily concentrated in AI infrastructure, cloud computing, and consumer technology companies. The list of companies included in these disclosures is Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), Oracle Corp. (NYSE: ORCL), Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ: NVDA), and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (NASDAQ: AMD).