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.