Trump announces an “AI Force” and an AI “czar”, calls fears of superintelligence “a hoax”

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is forming an “Artificial Intelligence Force”, a move that follows growing calls from technology industry leaders to slow the development of the technology.

In a Truth Social post, Trump wrote that his administration is creating the “AI Force” — “much like I did with the Space Force, which was a TREMENDOUS SUCCESS in my first term” — and that he will soon appoint an AI “czar”. “Only individuals with high IQs may apply!” he added.

The announcement came shortly after public warnings from some of the industry’s most powerful figures, including Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, xAI’s Elon Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who have called for measures to rein in the race toward ever more advanced systems.

Trump dismissed fears of artificial superintelligence, calling them “a hoax”. According to him, the administration “will not hinder or restrict in any way the growth of this extraordinary industry”, but will monitor “bad behavior” through the existing criminal and civil justice systems.

According to the Wall Street Journal, investor David Sacks was previously appointed “czar” for AI and cryptocurrencies, but left that role to become co-chair of the President’s Council of Science and Technology.

Trump also launched a poll with his followers on a more “elegant” name for artificial intelligence, proposing the alternatives “Superior Intelligence (SI)” or “Extreme Intelligence (EI)”.

The debate is unfolding as public concern over AI infrastructure grows: according to a March Gallup poll, nearly half of Americans strongly oppose building data centers near their homes, while a May poll showed about 75% oppose building them near residential areas.

Source: CNN / WSJ / NY Post / Reuters