Trump says his team warned an AI company leader of jail

President Donald Trump said in a 60 Minutes interview that aired Sunday that his administration once warned the leader of a major AI company about jail, Business Insider reported on November 9, citing the interview. Trump did not name the person or the company. Business Insider said representatives for the White House and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to its request for comment.

Per Business Insider’s account, Trump described “a situation where somebody was reported to us to be doing something bad with AI,” and said his team told the person to “get ready to go to jail.” Asked whether it was a leader of a major AI company, he said the individual was from “one of the big ones,” Business Insider and The Verge reported. Neither outlet identified a company, and Codema is not naming or guessing one. The reports give no date, charge or documented Justice Department action beyond Trump’s account of the exchange.

On AI safety, the CBS News transcript of the interview quotes Trump saying the risk “is not nearly as real as it-- as they talk” and “can be managed.” Asked about working with Democrats on AI safety, he said: “I don't mind guardrails. But I don't wanna put us in a deep second position. We're leading number one. And China has no guardrails, by the way.” He also said, of China’s approach: “They have the guardrails that whatever-- President Xi says goes. With me, it's pretty strong, but it's not quite that strong.”

The remarks land amid broader debate over how governments should oversee AI labs and exports, including Codema’s coverage of China’s draft AI export controls. Trump’s jail anecdote, as reported, is his own account of an unnamed episode; it is not an independent finding that any company broke the law.