From oversight to coercion: How authoritarian governments are twisting AI safety to get tech companies to fall in line

Authoritarian governments, including the Trump administration, are reorienting AI safety provisions away from protecting the public toward coercing support for the regime.

By: Michael Gregory, Clemson University, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: June 4, 2026

Words: 1,054

Last Updated: 1 month, 2 weeks ago

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By Michael Gregory, Clemson University

When researchers founded Anthropic in 2021, they said the race to build powerful AI was moving too recklessly. They inserted detailed safety measures into their products and marketed their commitment to safety as the corporate quality that distinguished them from competitors – notably OpenAI, the rival company they had left. In March 2026 that reputation was tested when the Trump administration declared that Anthropic was a supply chain risk.

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