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The president backed self-policing over new development limits and separately described commitments to help communities hosting data centers.
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The practical terms of the accord remain unclear: Trump described voluntary self-policing, but the report identifies no review standards, external reviewers, or confirmed individual signers. On September 29, 2026, he rejected new federal limits while pointing to existing Department of Justice and FBI authority. He also said AI firms would support schools or reduce energy costs amid local resistance to data centers, without specifying amounts or commitments.
Executives at the meeting had differing public positions: Anthropic’s Dario Amodei had urged leading firms to slow development, while Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg emphasized company responsibility.
Attendees included OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and Elon Musk; attendance does not confirm anyone signed.
Companies represented at the meeting are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, and Trump warned that opposition could push projects elsewhere or overseas.
President Donald Trump said on September 29, 2026, that he and AI company leaders signed a voluntary accord at the White House. He said it would include internal and external reviews of AI—a self-regulation approach announced while the president continued to reject new restrictions on AI development.
Trump presented the agreement after an extensive meeting with technology executives. The Gulf Coast News report did not provide review standards or identify who would conduct the external reviews.
I think I’m seeing tremendous self-policing. And they understand that they have to self-police.
President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters outside the West Wing
Earlier that day, Trump promised the government would not limit AI development or support calls for guardrails or other restrictions. “I will never stifle the growth of a technology that will be bigger than the industrial revolution,” he said.
After the lunch, he also pointed to existing federal authority. Trump said there was widespread agreement on self-regulation, adding, “and we automatically have regulation with the Department of Justice, the FBI, all of that.”
The meeting brought together executives with different public views about safety and speed. Anthropic’s Dario Amodei had called earlier in September for leading firms to slow development. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg had downplayed concerns about runaway AI and emphasized each company’s responsibility for product safety.
Attendees included Amodei, OpenAI President Greg Brockman, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Huang and Elon Musk. Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Zuckerberg and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also attended. Vice President JD Vance, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and House Speaker Mike Johnson joined the gathering.
The report did not identify individual signatories, so attendance alone does not confirm that any named executive signed.
Technology firms represented at the meeting are spending hundreds of billions of dollars on AI infrastructure, including data centers. Those projects have prompted grassroots opposition across party lines.
Trump also said executives agreed to address local resistance by providing more financial support to local schools or taking steps to reduce energy costs.
“You’re going to see, data centers are going to be very popular,” Trump predicted. He warned that continued opposition could force projects overseas or to other locations.
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