WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 15, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino faith communities comprising 27.7 million members, along with 750 national faith-based and technology organizations, is calling on the U.S. Congress to consider a pause in the advancement of large AI models until appropriate regulatory safeguards are in place, including international coordination. NBCI believes that a regulatory framework should have been developed earlier so that specific and relevant safeguards would be available as concerns surrounding rapidly advancing AI technologies increase.
NBCI believes AI regulation should be among the priorities of the new Congress and that government has a crucial role in establishing appropriate safeguards. President Trump has taken a different position, arguing that additional AI regulation could impede U.S. technological development and provide an advantage to China.
Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative, says, “Artificial intelligence must be regulated. Man must not try to play GOD unless GOD will step in.”
On Monday, Trump suggested that his presidency was sufficient to guard against the risks of AI. “The only control or ‘guardrails’ that AI needs is a STRONG AND SMART (High IQ!) PRESIDENT, and the U.S.A. has that, in spades,” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
Trump also focused on the competitive threat posed by China in the technology race, writing that “there is a SICK conspiracy going on against AI and Data Centers, and the only one that is happy about it is China.”
The President has repeatedly emphasized maintaining U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence and preventing China from gaining an advantage in the development of the technology.
Trump also criticized Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, claiming that he is “now pretending to be a ‘perfect little angel’” after the Trump administration had previously “stopped AI ‘people’ from doing bad, or potentially bad, ‘things.’”
Over the weekend, Amodei became the first major AI industry leader to publicly call for slowing the pace of advanced AI development. In an essay titled “We Must Pace the Frontier,” Amodei wrote, “We must slow the pace at which we improve the capabilities of AI models.”
Amodei proposed a three-step approach that includes independent third-party evaluation of advanced AI systems, coordination among frontier AI companies in democratic countries to establish common safety standards, and international coordination between governments. He emphasized that his proposal would not halt AI development, but would seek to allow safety measures to keep pace with advances in AI capabilities.
National Black Church Initiative
The National Black Church Initiative is a coalition of 150,000 African American and Latino faith communities comprising 27.7 million members. NBCI works to eradicate racial disparities in healthcare, technology, education, housing, the environment, and economic opportunity. Its programs combine faith, credible research, and practical strategies to address complex economic and social challenges.
Anthony Evans
National Black Church Initiative
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