Trump launches ‘AI Force’ and hunts for an AI czar

The latest:

A new federal unit dedicated to artificial intelligence, modeled on the Space Force, is being formed, President Trump said Saturday on Truth Social, adding that he is also recruiting an AI czar. He framed the body as a protector rather than a regulator, pledging his administration would not stifle the industry’s growth. It is the first time he has floated an entity devoted solely to AI.

Details:

• The announcement: Trump wrote that he is forming the AI Force much as he created the Space Force in his first term, which he described as a tremendous success. He said the new body would cherish, help and watch over the industry as it grows, rather than hinder it.
• The unknowns: Trump did not specify the unit’s mandate, how much federal funding would be available, or who might lead it. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tech executives said it is unclear how the entity will operate or who would be chosen as czar.
• Crowded terrain: Several federal bodies already handle tech and AI policy, including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the Commerce Department and the Defense Department, which runs a Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office. Multiple agencies have embedded the technology into operations.
• The czar vacancy: Trump had appointed investor David Sacks as AI and crypto czar before Sacks stepped down to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Sacks remains one of Trump’s leading advisers on AI policy.
• The industry alarm: Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has urged the industry to pace development, proposing global coordination among democratic countries and third-party safety evaluators. He argued that buying an extra year or two before models reach critical capability levels could sharply reduce the risk of serious failure.
• More warnings: Microsoft published a provisional code of conduct for training new models. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman warned the pace of progress could go very badly and that humans could lose control of the future to AI, while welcoming a federal framework setting consistent safety requirements for frontier systems.
• A resignation: Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon said recently he was quitting the AI industry, citing fears that his company and its competitors are racing to build systems they will soon be unable to control.
• Obama weighs in: Speaking at Colgate University on Friday, former President Barack Obama endorsed companies calling for a slowdown and backed greater government oversight. He said leaving the decision to firms alone cannot be a long-term solution and that government has to regulate the technology.
• The legal clash: Anthropic sued the administration after the Pentagon labeled it a supply-chain risk, arguing the Defense Department illegally retaliated over its AI safety stance. A federal judge recently ruled for Anthropic, finding the administration’s actions unlawful.
• The polling backdrop: Trump recently called efforts to regulate AI and fears of out-of-control models a hoax. A Gallup poll taken in March found nearly half of respondents strongly oppose construction of local AI data centers, and voter unease over the facilities is rising ahead of November’s midterms.

Background:

Trump has resisted tighter AI rules, arguing limited guardrails are needed to outpace China and lift the economy. He has shifted positions repeatedly, caught between advisers worried about model capabilities and cyber risk and a camp led by Sacks favoring minimal regulation.

Between the lines:

Adam Kovacevich of the center-left group Chamber of Progress said nobody knows what the announcement means, and that six months of White House AI policymaking without a czar has been chaos. He read the post as a sign Trump feels compelled to act without knowing what to do, adding that the president is reading the polls like everyone else. The Gallup numbers and the November midterms sit behind that reading.

What’s next

Trump is expected to meet tech CEOs in the coming days on AI policy and to raise the subject with China’s Xi Jinping. Watch for a named czar, a defined mandate for the AI Force, and any funding figure.

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