A split has opened among the tech elite and in Washington over whether to slow down AI development, with Trump and Republicans pushing full speed ahead — good for Nvidia and AI builders, worrying for those who want safety rules.

• Elon Musk joined OpenAI and Anthropic in calling for AI development to slow down.
• Nvidia and Mark Zuckerberg pushed back, saying no slowdown unless China agrees to one too.
• Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson sided with the go-fast camp, saying the AI train has no brakes.
• Obama and Bernie Sanders are calling for guardrails, turning AI into a partisan fight ahead of the midterms.

Outlook: With the White House and Republicans backing an all-out AI race, expect no federal slowdown soon and AI to become a major midterm campaign issue.