Trump Plans AI Force and New Czar While Polling AI Rebrand
Trump proposes renaming AI, announces an AI Force and future czar, rejects safety backlash as a hoax, while industry leaders debate tighter guardrails.
Summary
On September 19, 2026, President Donald Trump used Truth Social to dismiss AI safety concerns and data center opposition as Democratic hoaxes intended to damage the country, offering no evidence while maintaining he is open to guardrails. He launched an ongoing poll proposing Superior Intelligence, Extreme Intelligence or Supreme Intelligence as replacements for artificial intelligence. Trump pledged to support and oversee the industry, create an AI Force modeled on the Space Force established during his first term, and appoint an AI czar soon, but disclosed neither role’s duties.
Trump argued opponents targeted AI after attacks on data centers largely failed once communities recognized their wealth and prestige. However, Republicans and Democrats have opposed data centers, and New York became the first state to halt permits for large projects. David Sacks left the AI and crypto czar position earlier in 2026 to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
The safety debate intensified when an Anthropic researcher quit, warning that leading AI companies believe the technology could kill everyone by the decade’s end while they gamble with human lives. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei then released a plan to pace frontier development, seemingly endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk. Critics argue existential fears distract from immediate harms. At the Sacks-co-hosted All-In Summit, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang called Trump from the stage, agreed the backlash was a hoax and opposed any slowdown.
Positives
- Trump said he remains open to AI guardrails despite dismissing much of the safety backlash as politically motivated.
- Trump pledged federal support and oversight for the AI industry as it grows.
- Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s frontier development plan appeared to gain support from Sam Altman and Elon Musk.
- David Sacks moved from the AI and crypto czar role to co-chair the president’s science and technology advisory council.
Risks & concerns
- Trump offered no evidence that AI safety concerns and data center opposition are manufactured Democratic hoaxes.
- The planned AI Force and AI czar have no disclosed duties, authority or timetable beyond an announcement expected soon.
- New York became the first state to halt permits for large data centers amid opposition from both political parties.
- An Anthropic researcher warned that leading companies believe AI could kill everyone by the decade’s end.
- Critics contend that focusing on existential AI scenarios diverts attention from harms already affecting society.