US President Donald Trump has declared that the United States will establish an “AI Force” and appoint a special artificial intelligence tsar, signaling an acceleration of the nation’s efforts to dominate the sector. The announcement, made via social media, comes at a time when growing alarm over the technology’s potential dangers has sparked demands for stricter safety measures and coordinated international action.
Trump insisted that his administration would “not in any way hinder or stifle the growth” of the industry, explicitly pushing back against advocates who argue that development should be paused until more robust safeguards are implemented. He characterized recent fears regarding AI’s existential threats as a “hoax,” stating that such criticism is unfounded. The President offered no specific timeline or operational details for the new AI Force.
Emphasizing the economic stakes, Trump described AI as the next Industrial Revolution or the Internet, potentially accounting for up to 25% of the country’s GDP. He reiterated the administration’s commitment to maintaining US superiority over China, a rivalry that sits at the core of global technological competition. The issue is expected to feature prominently when Trump meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.
While promoting unchecked expansion, Trump confirmed that his government would leverage existing criminal and civil justice frameworks to prosecute bad actors who misuse AI systems. This stance contrasts sharply with recent concerns raised by prominent figures in the tech industry. Leaders from Anthropic, OpenAI, and xAI, including Dario Amodei and Elon Musk, have voiced support for slowing development, enhancing regulation, and establishing independent monitoring of AI models.
Jacqueline “Jack” Clark, co-founder of Anthropic, told the BBC that mandatory third-party “kill switches” may be necessary to ensure safety. Meanwhile, major tech firms have disclosed instances where their chatbots were exploited for malicious activities, further fueling anxiety about unchecked advancement. OpenAI’s Sam Altman suggested that lawmakers struggle to regulate technology as fast as it evolves, urging the public to trust industry self-governance.
Across the Atlantic, UK lawmakers have also moved to address these risks. The Joint Committee on Human Rights (JCHR) published a report highlighting threats to human rights posed by the rapid growth of AI, calling for new legislation to tackle the scale of these dangers. Critics argue that current laws are ill-equipped to handle the complexities of advanced artificial intelligence.
25% of GDP is a massive claim. I hope this ‘force’ actually protects jobs, not just corporate profits from unchecked AI expansion.
An AI tsar sounds cool, but where are the actual safety guardrails? Seems like we are just accelerating without a steering wheel.