Donald Trump announces AI Force and plans to appoint dedicated AI czar

The AI Force initiative

On Saturday, 19 September 2026, Donald Trump announced the creation of an AI Force dedicated to overseeing artificial intelligence regulation, comparing the initiative to the Space Force established during his first presidential term. Writing on Truth Social, Trump stated that he intends to recruit an artificial intelligence czar to guide federal oversight. The announcement represents the first formal proposal by the administration for a dedicated federal unit supervising the technology sector. The move follows public warnings from prominent industry executives regarding the speed of technological expansion. Trump had earlier appointed technology investor David Sacks as his administration's artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency czar, prior to Sacks stepping down from that position to become co-chair of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. The White House did not issue an immediate response to press inquiries regarding the operational framework or budget of the planned unit.

Regulatory approach and domestic pushback

Trump rejected proposals for additional federal legislative restrictions on artificial intelligence developers, asserting that new statutory limits would hamper private sector growth. He maintained that existing legal structures provide sufficient mechanisms to address commercial misconduct without creating new compliance burdens.

“In no way will we impede or stifle the growth of this incredible industry. Instead, we will embrace it, help it, and watch over it as it grows! However, we will also look for bad practices and we can do that, very easily, with the already existing Criminal and Civil Justice System.”

The policy statement follows comments made earlier in the week, in which Trump described public criticism of the technology and its infrastructure as a conspiracy against artificial intelligence and computational data centers. Public acceptance of local infrastructure remains contested ahead of the November midterm elections. A Gallup survey conducted in March revealed that nearly half of respondents strongly oppose the construction of local data centers, which require substantial electricity supplies to operate. In his social media post, Trump also initiated an informal poll among his followers, asking whether artificial intelligence should be renamed to Superior Intelligence, Extreme Intelligence, or Supreme Intelligence.

Diplomatic agenda with Beijing and the United Nations

Artificial intelligence governance is scheduled to be a primary topic during bilateral discussions between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping next week. United States officials confirmed that the talks will address access to advanced semiconductor chips, regulatory standards for software developers, and competing allegations concerning technology transfer and software duplication. Both Washington and Beijing treat computational power and machine learning as decisive factors for economic strength and military capability.

The diplomatic meeting occurs as tech executives push for multinational safety guardrails. OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman is scheduled to deliver a briefing to the United Nations Security Council regarding the capabilities and security risks associated with artificial intelligence models, a company spokesperson confirmed to Reuters. The presentation comes as international institutions evaluate whether existing diplomatic frameworks can oversee cross-border deployment before autonomous systems exceed external control mechanisms.