Trump wants an 'AI Force' and calls AI safety fears a hoax

The White House's answer to AI risk is more AI, faster. In a Truth Social post on Sept. 19, President Trump said he'll create an "AI Force", modeled on the Space Force from his first term, and appoint an AI czar to oversee the industry. The only requirement he gave for the czar: "only High I.Q. individuals need apply." He named no one, and the White House added no details on how the AI Force would be set up.

The bigger news is the tone. Trump called fears that AI could get out of human control a "hoax" and said the only guardrail the technology needs is a "strong and smart" president. "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry," he wrote. "Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it." His reason is the same as always: beat China, because "whoever wins AI wins."

That puts him against the people who build the technology. The heads of the big AI labs have called for slowing down as their systems get more powerful, and Geoffrey Hinton has warned that Congress has "maybe a year" to regulate. The czar job has also been empty since David Sacks, the former AI and crypto czar, stepped down earlier this year.

Why it matters: the US is centralizing AI oversight under someone whose stated job is to speed AI up, not to set guardrails.