Trump Signals AI Force Plan and Polls Followers on AI Rebrand
President Donald Trump said he intends to create an AI Force and announce an AI “Czar,” while also asking followers on Truth Social to choose a replacement name for artificial intelligence. His poll offered three options: Superior Intelligence, Extreme Intelligence and Supreme Intelligence. The poll was still running when the report was published.
Trump made the statements on Saturday amid a renewed public argument over AI safety and the expansion of data-centre infrastructure. He did not specify the mandate, structure or powers of the proposed AI Force, nor did he describe the responsibilities that would accompany the AI czar role.
AI safety debate framed as political opposition
In a later Truth Social post, Trump described efforts to slow or constrain AI as a Democratic “hoax.” He argued that criticism had first focused on data centres and had then turned toward AI after communities recognised the facilities as sources of wealth and prestige.
The president offered no evidence for his assertion that concern about AI and data centres was not organic. Opposition to large data-centre projects has come from both political parties, and New York recently became the first state to halt permits for large projects.
Trump had also addressed the issue at a golf tournament the previous weekend. He said he was open to “guardrails,” while arguing that negative forces were raising the subject when they should not be. On Saturday, he said he would “cherish” the AI industry, help it and watch over its growth.
Unclear roles in an evolving federal AI agenda
The proposed AI Force recalls the Space Force, which Trump established during his first term. However, the announcement did not say whether the new body would be military, regulatory, advisory or administrative. Its relationship to existing federal agencies and AI policy work is also unknown.
The announcement comes after venture capitalist David Sacks stepped down earlier this year as Trump’s AI and crypto czar. Sacks moved on to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
The broader safety debate has intensified after an AI researcher left Anthropic, saying leading AI companies believed the technology could pose catastrophic risks by the end of the decade. Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei subsequently published a plan to “pace the frontier,” a position that OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman and SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk appeared to endorse.
Other critics argue that claims about existential AI risk can distract from more immediate harms. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, speaking with Trump at the All-In Summit, agreed that the backlash was a “hoax” and opposed a slowdown. For businesses, the practical implication is to distinguish political messaging from enforceable policy and continue monitoring federal AI governance, data-centre permitting and any formal definition of the proposed roles.