Trump says he will create ‘AI Force’ with new ‘AI czar’

United States President Donald Trump has confirmed he's creating an "AI Force" and will appoint a new "AI czar" to oversee development of the nation's artificial intelligence industry.

Key points

• "The robots will not be taking over, " Trump remarked on Monday during a phone call to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during the All-In Summit.
• Sacks, who now chairs Trump's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, had additionally been sceptical of regulating the technology.
• The matter is anticipated to be front and centre during Trump's summit next week in Washington, DC, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
• "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry", Trump remarked in a Truth Social post.
• Al Jazeera's Eva McKend observed on Saturday that "Trump's stance on AI is increasingly out of step with public sentiment, " including his own voters.

In a lengthy social media post on Saturday, Trump remarked he was doing so with a goal of protecting – and advancing – the development of AI. It he described as "the next Industrial Revolution" that would be key to the country's economic expansion. He did not provide details regarding this group or when he would appoint the new adviser.

"We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry", Trump remarked in a Truth Social post. "Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!"

Notably, the president likened the AI Force to his creation of the Space Force, the newest branch of the US military created during his first term in office.

Trump already had one "AI czar", venture capitalist David Sacks. He resigned earlier this year and became an external adviser to the president.

For context, the announcements by Trump come as AI faces mounting reservations from US tech executives and residents alike.

Earlier this week, leaders of the world's largest AI firms publicly called on a slowdown of the burgeoning technology's development after warnings concerning how rapid advances could threaten to outpace the ability to develop it safely.

After a safety researcher at Anthropic, a leading US-based AI firm, cautioned there was a greater than 10 percent chance the tech "could kill all humans" within the next decade, Trump called it a "hoax."

"The robots will not be taking over, " Trump remarked on Monday during a phone call to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during the All-In Summit. "The AI will not be taking over the rest of the world."

In a recent interview with CBS News, Sacks suggested fears AI could harm individuals are overblown. "I think this is becoming a panic, " he remarked.

Meanwhile, the expansion of the number of data centres has faced increasing pushback in communities throughout the US over their employ of natural resources and role in soaring energy costs. It is an matter that has brought lawmakers from both major political parties in the US together over worries raised by these communities in the run-up to November's US midterm elections. On Saturday, nevertheless, Trump additionally blasted attacks on AI data centres, calling the facilities "prestigious".

"Higher Salaries, Lower Taxes, and Safer Streets, was the result, " Trump remarked of the facilities, echoing remarks last month in which he stated communities that didn't want them would "end up being backwards and poor".

Residents in some of the most conservative parts of the US are aggressively pushing back against AI data centres despite supporting Trump in the 2024 election, she documented. That pushback was reflected earlier this week when the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a bill, in a 417 to 3 vote, that would minimize the impact of AI data centre's electricity employ on US residents' utility bills.

But despite the growing calls for AI to be reined in, Trump's Saturday announcement reflects his anti-regulatory, pro-growth stance towards a technology he notes he believes is key to competing against China.

For context, the matter is anticipated to be front and centre during Trump's summit next week in Washington, DC, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

Taken together, the developments around trump says he will create 'AI Force' with new 'AI czar' point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.