AI · SEMICONDUCTOR · FACT CHECK
SKD WIRETrue
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that CEOs calling for government regulation of AI are comparable to Hannibal Lecter, the fictional cannibal from "The Silence of the Lambs." The remark was made in an official setting, with the statement available through Treasury's own public materials.
Bessent, who heads the US Department of the Treasury, made the comparison while criticizing industry leaders who request government intervention in AI development. By invoking Hannibal Lecter, the secretary suggested that executives seeking regulatory protection over AI cannot be trusted with the technology's direction, framing their regulatory appeals as self-interested rather than safety-driven.
The statement was disseminated through official Treasury channels, including material published on the department's website, allowing the remark to be traced to its primary source rather than relying on secondhand accounts. The remark reflects the ongoing tension in the United States between AI developers and policymakers over how much oversight the federal government should impose on artificial intelligence development.
The claim that Bessent made the statement — "CEOs who demand government regulation of AI are like Hannibal Lecter" — is true.