Trump Unveils ‘AI Force’ While Rejecting Calls to Slow the Industry

On Saturday the White House turned into a kind of tech rally hall. President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to declare that he will create an “AI Force,” a new unit that, in his words, will watch over the nation’s fast‑moving artificial‑intelligence sector. He also promised to name an AI czar, a senior official who will act as the administration’s point person on the technology.

Trump’s post was unapologetically upbeat. “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 as it grows!” He likened the new unit to the Space Force, which he billed as a triumph of his first term, and hinted that the existing criminal and civil justice system would be ready to step in if anything went awry.

The announcement came amid a wave of public anxiety about AI’s accelerating power. Data centers have become a hot‑button issue in the recent midterm elections, and critics have warned that without some kind of brake the technology could outpace regulation. Yet Trump brushed those concerns off as “politically driven hoaxes,” insisting that the United States is still leading China and the rest of the world in AI development.

He even tossed out a bold forecast: AI could eventually account for as much as 25 % of U.S. GDP, potentially eclipsing the impact of the internet. “We are leading China, and the rest of the world, and I intend to keep it that way!” he added.

Behind the scenes, the administration’s approach is not monolithic. Earlier in the term, investor‑turned‑advisor David Sacks served as an AI and crypto czar before moving to co‑chair the president’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Meanwhile, other branches of the federal government have taken more cautious steps. The Commerce Department temporarily restricted exports of Anthropic’s most advanced models, and the Defense Department tried – unsuccessfully – to blacklist Anthropic as a supply‑chain risk.

Industry leaders, on the other hand, are quietly urging a slowdown. Last week Anthropic’s chief executive, Dario Amodei, announced a new safety protocol that gives independent evaluators permanent, employee‑level access to the company’s inner workings. OpenAI’s Sam Altman, SpaceX AI’s Elon Musk, and DeepMind co‑founder Demis Hassabis have all signaled support for a broader pause, saying the risks are growing too fast to ignore.

The push for restraint has even landed in court. A lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California accuses several AI firms of violating antitrust law by coordinating slowdown efforts, arguing that such collusion could devalue the subscriptions customers have already paid for. The plaintiffs, however, clarified they are not opposed to government‑led regulation or an antitrust exemption; they simply fear that private agreements could put humanity’s safety in the hands of profit‑motivated giants.

One disgruntled former Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, made headlines after resigning and accusing both Anthropic and OpenAI of “racing straight to self‑improving superintelligence and gambling with our lives.” Anthropic’s own alignment lead, Evan Hubinger, echoed the sentiment, writing, “We really do earnestly believe AI could kill all humans!”

So while the president’s AI Force promises a watchful eye from within the existing justice system, the tech world is already charting a different course—one that leans heavily on transparency, external oversight, and, some argue, a deliberate slowdown. The clash between political enthusiasm and industry caution will likely shape the next chapter of America’s AI story.