President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is forming an "AI Force," modeled after the Space Force branch he established during his first term, and said he'll soon name a new AI "czar" to oversee the effort.
The announcement came in a lengthy Truth Social post in which Trump dismissed growing concern over AI risk as the latest in a string of what he called manufactured "hoaxes," while also promising the new body would go after "BAD" actors in the industry using the existing legal system.
"We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry," Trump wrote, adding that the administration would instead "cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows." He said only "High I.Q. individuals" should apply for the czar role, and separately floated renaming AI something more flattering, alternately suggesting "supreme," "superior," or "extreme" intelligence, according to reporting on the post.
The comparison to Space Force is notable given what that branch actually does day to day. Rather than operating as a traditional combat force, Space Force has largely focused on consolidating and coordinating satellite operations, missile warning systems, and space-based communications that were previously split among the Air Force, Army, and Navy.
If the AI Force follows a similar model, it would likely function less as a new fighting force and more as a way to centralize the military's sprawling AI programs under one roof. Trump's announcement may also revive a position that's been sitting empty for months. Venture capitalist David Sacks served as Trump's AI and cryptocurrency czar until he stepped down in March. Sacks moved to an advisory role within the White House after his term as a special government employee had ended.
Broadly, Trump's calls for a "US AI Force" come amid a series of high-profile failures in the Defense Department's use of AI. Pentagon investigators have been examining whether an "overreliance on AI" played a role in a February strike that killed dozens at a girls' school in Iran.
More recently, CNN reported that an AI-generated report from a US military analyst falsely claimed a Chinese ship was transporting nuclear weapons components. According to that report, armed US service members were preparing to board the vessel before officials discovered the intelligence had been generated by an AI chatbot and pulled the operation at the last minute.
One source described the false, AI-generated claim to CNN as having "almost started a war" with China.