U.S. President Donald Trump said he will create an "AI Force," a declaration that comes as calls within the artificial intelligence industry to slow development have fueled growing public unease about the technology. He also described concerns over AI safety as a hoax manufactured by the political left.
Writing on Truth Social on the 19th, Trump said he would establish an "AI Force" modeled on the Space Force, which he called an enormous success during his first term. He said he would announce an AI czar before long and that he hoped only people with high IQs would apply. The Space Force was created in 2019, during Trump's first term.
Trump predicted that AI would become the next industrial revolution, or something comparable to the internet, but far larger and more influential. He said it could account for as much as 25% of U.S. gross domestic product. He also said the United States was ahead of China and the rest of the world in AI, framing the race to develop advanced systems as part of the broader contest for supremacy between Washington and Beijing.
Trump dismissed the backlash against AI and the spread of data centers that support it as a hoax created by the left, comparing it to impeachment, climate change and the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports. He said that as president he would not stand by and let the situation continue, and that it had all begun with attacks on data centers. Once people realized that data centers become wealthy and prestigious facilities in their communities, he said, those attacks shifted into direct attacks on AI itself.
He added that his administration would not obstruct or suppress the growth of what he called this remarkable industry in any way, and would instead cherish it, support it and watch it grow.
Within the AI industry, by contrast, the reaction has been that Trump's idea of an AI Force came out of nowhere. According to Politico, the post contained no specifics about the unit, leaving officials uncertain about how it would operate or be staffed as they scrambled to formulate a response. Several industry figures told Politico that the industry had little real knowledge of the president's decision before the Truth Social post.
Adam Kovacevich, chief executive of Chamber of Progress, a center-left coalition of technology companies, said Trump clearly feels pressure to say something. But the president is caught in a dilemma, Kovacevich said, because until just a few days ago he had been calling all of this a hoax.
Since Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei raised the case for slowing down, the Trump administration has rejected the argument as a hoax. But with public opinion continuing to build, the administration now finds it difficult either to reverse its earlier position or to remain passive.
Kovacevich also said the White House has been making AI policy on the fly since the departure earlier this year of David Sacks, the administration's former AI czar. It seems clear, he said, that the White House genuinely misses having an organizing leader like Sacks.
AI has emerged as a central issue in the U.S. midterm election campaign. California Governor Gavin Newsom, seen as a leading Democratic contender for the next presidential race, instructed a group of experts a day earlier to draft legislation that would allow consideration of measures such as a "kill switch" enabling AI developers to shut down specific programs in an emergency. Republican politicians are also shifting away from their support for AI and data centers as voters in their districts turn against them. In a recent Associated Press poll, 63% of Americans said they were concerned about the effect of data centers on electricity bills.
