Palantir CEO Alex Karp Warns of AI Dangers in US-China Tech Race

Palantir CEO Karp says AI is dangerous and 'either we win or China will win'

"My general bias on AI is it is dangerous," Karp told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Thursday. "There are positive and negative consequences, and either we win or China will win." Karp has been a vocal advocate for U.S AI dominance. He told CNBC in January that the country needs to "run harder, run faster" in an "all-country effort" to develop more advanced AI models. In a recent letter to shareholders, he also touted Palantir's commitment to equipping and enhancing U.S. defense interests. The billionaire tech CEO said Thursday that the U.S. currently has a leg up in the AI race and Palantir is leading the way in making companies more secure and efficient with its tools.

Palantir CEO Karp says AI is dangerous and 'either we win or China will win'

Palantir CEO Alex Karp said the artificial intelligence arms race between the U.S. and China will culminate in one country coming out on top. "My general bias on AI is it is dangerous," Karp told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street" on Thursday. "There are positive and negative consequences, and either we win or China will win." Karp has been a vocal advocate for U.S. AI dominance. He told CNBC in January that the country needs to "run harder, run faster" in an "all-country effort" to develop more advanced AI models. In a recent letter to shareholders, he also touted Palantir's commitment to equipping and enhancing U.S. defense interests. The billionaire tech CEO said Thursday that the U.S. currently has a leg up in the AI race and Palantir is leading the way in making companies more secure and efficient with its tools. "There is no economy in the world with this kind of corporate leadership which is willing to pivot, which understands technologies, which is willing to look at new things, but also has deep domain expertise," he said. "Our allies in the West, in Europe, are going to have to learn from us." Shares of the Denver-based data analytics and AI software firm outperformed in 2024 and have continued their ascent in 2025 as investors bet on their software and work with key government contractors and agencies. The stock is up 74% this year, but investors have to shell out on a higher earnings multiple than its tech peers. "You don't like the price, exit," Karp said Thursday in response. Karp also asserted that the company is "not surveilling Americans" in response to recent New York Times report that Palantir is helping the Trump administration gather data on Americans.

Palantir CEO Warns US-China AI Race Will Have One Winner, Urges West To Keep Up - Palantir Technologies (NASDAQ:PLTR)

Palantir Technologies Inc PLTR CEO Alex Karp expects the artificial intelligence arms race between the U.S. and China to have one winner. Karp, on Thursday's episode of CNBC's "Squawk on the Street," expressed his concerns regarding AI's dangers while acknowledging its positive and negative consequences. The stock is down amid reports indicating that some Republicans are criticizing the Trump administration's deal with the company. Also Read: Palantir CEO Alex Karp Refutes 'Ridiculous' Surveillance Reports, Says Company Is 'Winning' He had previously voiced aggressive efforts required by countries to develop more advanced AI models. Karp said that no other economy in the world has corporate leaders as adaptable, tech-savvy, and open to innovation while still rooted in deep industry expertise. He added that Western allies, including those in Europe, must take notes from this approach. He denied reports indicating that the company surveilled Americans to help the Trump administration gather data on Americans. Palantir Technologies stock surged 435% in the last 12 months. Reportedly, the Trump administration has recently expanded the company's work across the federal government. Since Trump took office, Palantir bagged over $113 million in contracts (new and additional funds from existing), excluding the $795 million Department of Defense contract. Price Action: PLTR stock closed lower by 7.77% at $119.91 on Thursday. Read Next: Palantir Stock Falls As GOP Lawmakers Push Back On Government Surveillance Deal Photo by slyellow via Shutterstock PLTRPalantir Technologies Inc$120.66-7.19%Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full ScoreEdge RankingsMomentum99.12Growth97.44QualityNot AvailableValue2.53Price TrendShortMediumLongOverviewMarket News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Palantir CEO shares warning about the dangers of AI 'arms race'

Palantir CEO Alex Karp on Thursday warned that either the United States or China will prevail in the artificial intelligence race - and that our tech industry needs to keep pushing forward to avoid the latter. "My general bias on AI is it is dangerous, there are positive and negative consequences, and either we win or China will win," Karp told CNBC's "Squawk on the Street." "We're in an arms race," he added. His warning came in response to questions about a GOP proposal to block states from regulating artificial intelligence for 10 years - which has taken heat from other leaders in the tech industry. "A 10-year moratorium is far too blunt an instrument. AI is advancing too head-spinningly fast," Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei wrote in an op-ed for The New York Times. "Without a clear plan for a federal response, a moratorium would give us the worst of both worlds -- no ability for states to act, and no national policy as a backstop." Karp, whose software firm boasts partners like Microsoft, Oracle, Deloitte and PwC, argued that the US currently has the lead in the race thanks to its flourishing tech industry. "There is no economy in the world with this kind of corporate leadership which is willing to pivot, which understands technologies, which is willing to look at new things, but also has deep domain expertise," he said. "Our allies in the West, in Europe, are going to have to learn from us. Our allies in the Middle East are learning quicker from us. Our adversaries are trying to learn from us," he continued. Karp has long pushed for the US to prioritize gaining dominance in artificial intelligence over foreign nations, arguing that it requires an "all-country effort." In a recent letter to shareholders, Karp also made clear Palantir's commitment to enhancing US defense interests. He hit back, however, against a New York Times report that Palantir is helping the Trump administration gather data on Americans - telling CNBC that the company is "not surveilling Americans." Shares of the $306 billion AI firm outperformed last year and have continued to climb, soaring more than 60% so far this year. The stock fell about 6% on Thursday. But investors have to pay up for shares of the company, which has much higher multiples than peers in the tech industry. When asked about the price, Karp said: "You don't like the price, exit."