United States President Donald Trump has said he does not mind guardrails on artificial intelligence, signalling a possible openness to safeguards in his first sit-down interview since last week's midterm elections.

Speaking to CBS's 60 Minutes in an interview recorded at the White House on Friday and broadcast on Sunday, Trump was asked whether the United States should accept the risks of artificial intelligence in order to stay ahead of China. He replied that the dangers were manageable and said he was open to working with Democrats on safeguards.

"I don't mind guardrails," he told correspondent Ross Douthat. But he added a condition: he did not want regulations to put the United States in "a deep second position" behind China, which he said had no such restrictions.

When Douthat pointed out that China does have guardrails of a kind — those of a totalitarian state — Trump replied that Beijing's controls amounted to whatever President Xi Jinping says goes, and that his own authority was strong but "not quite that strong".

The remarks mark a shift in tone from a president who has previously favoured letting technology companies police themselves rather than imposing sweeping government restrictions. Reuters, reporting on the interview, noted that his latest comments suggest some openness to safeguards, though it remains unclear at what level they would apply.

The interview was Trump's first extended conversation since Republicans lost control of both the House and the Senate in Tuesday's midterm elections. The wide-ranging discussion covered the election result, immigration, the wars in Iran and Ukraine, the economy and artificial intelligence, with the AI section coming towards the end of the programme.

Artificial intelligence has become one of the sharpest policy arguments in Washington. The technology's rapid advance has raised questions about safety testing, the spread of powerful models, and the competition with China, where state direction of the sector is far tighter than anything proposed in the United States. At the same time, American companies have warned that heavy-handed rules could slow development and hand an advantage to Beijing.

Trump's comments do not amount to a policy proposal. No specific rules, agency, or timetable were mentioned in the exchange, and the White House has not followed up with details. What the interview does establish is that the president is willing, in principle, to accept some form of guardrails — and to discuss them with a Democratic Congress that now controls both chambers.

Whether that willingness turns into legislation will depend on negotiations that have not yet begun. For now, the clearest signal from the interview is the balance Trump struck: open to safeguards, but determined that American leadership in artificial intelligence should not be sacrificed to them.