Trump Wants AI Force and Compliance Officer to Meet Standards

President Donald Trump announced the creation of an AI force and the imminent appointment of an AI czar, vowing not to impede industry growth or stifle innovation.

In a Saturday post on his Truth Social platform, Trump revealed the plan would adopt organizational structures from Space Force, though details on budget, structure, and candidates remain undisclosed.

Trump has long claimed that opposition to AI is artificially inflamed, calling it a 'scam' during a live call with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang last week. His latest post reinforced this stance, linking AI criticism to other instances he labels as 'scams,' including attacks on data centers following community improvements in wages, taxes, and safety.

Trump warned that cities rejecting data centers risk falling behind economically, emphasizing AI's potential to contribute up to 25% of U.S. GDP, positioning America ahead of China.

The administration pledged government support for the industry without delaying development, with officials stating existing criminal and civil laws are sufficient to monitor misconduct. The proposed AI force will operate under this framework, modeled after Space Force—a reference Trump cited as a successful initiative from his first term.

Notably, the AI czar position has been vacant since March following David Sacks' departure from the White House AI and cryptocurrency role. Sacks remains co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Meanwhile, researchers within AI labs have raised concerns about potential risks. OpenAI safety team member Marcus Williams warned that without regulation or controlled development speed, humanity faces a 70% chance of extinction within three years. DeepMind’s Bilal Zouaoui resigned amid similar warnings, stating the technology could 'kill all humans.' Anthropic researchers also issued comparable alerts in early September.

Trump has not specified when he will appoint an AI czar, but the choice will indicate how much weight the White House places on calls from researchers urging slower development.