President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is creating an “AI Force” to help monitor artificial intelligence and said he would name an AI czar in the near future, using the existing criminal and civil justice system rather than new rules to police wrongdoing in the industry.
Trump made the announcement in a post on Truth Social, according to a report from Reuters, which was carried by the Raleigh News & Observer. Trump wrote that he is creating the AI Force to help monitor AI and that he will appoint an AI czar in the near future, per the same Truth Social post.
Trump made the announcement in a social media post. He said the government would cherish, help and watch over the AI industry as it grows, and would not hinder or stifle its growth. At the same time, he said officials would look for wrongdoing using the country's existing criminal and civil justice system, writing, per the report published on StreetInsider, that “we will also be looking for BAD, and we can do that, very easily, with our already existing Criminal and Civil Justice System.”
No Immediate Word From the White House
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment, according to the same account. Trump's remarks were accompanied by a file photo of him speaking during a meeting with travel executives in the Oval Office on September 2, a detail included in the report but separate from Saturday's AI Force announcement.
A Role Already Held in the White House
The announcement comes after David Sacks stepped down in the spring and moved into an external advisory position. FedScoop has described Sacks as the White House's AI and crypto czar, while Politico separately referred to him as a former Trump AI czar — accounts that this article presents without resolving, since the underlying reporting conflicts on his current status. Sacks has described his job as serving as a bridge between Silicon Valley and Washington on technology innovation and growth, per FedScoop's reporting.
Sacks has also pushed a specific approach to AI competition with China, arguing the United States should trash the traditional regulatory playbook in favor of a private-sector-friendly model, according to FedScoop. He estimated China is three to six months behind the United States in AI, calling it a very close race, the outlet reported.
China Talks Loom Over the Announcement
Trump's announcement comes as U.S. officials have said they plan to raise AI in talks with China ahead of a meeting between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to the report from StreetInsider. Washington and Beijing view advances in AI as critical to their economic and military competitiveness, even as the two governments remain at odds over advanced-chip access, allegations of technology copying, and how AI should be regulated.
The proposed AI Force would sit alongside the administration's broader AI Action Plan, which according to AI.gov rests on three policy pillars: accelerating innovation, building AI infrastructure, and leading international diplomacy and security. That plan, directed by Trump, calls for removing red tape and onerous regulation while ensuring frontier AI protects free speech and American interests, per AI.gov's action plan page.
For now, the AI Force exists only as a stated intention rather than a fleshed-out agency, and Trump has not said when a formal announcement of its leadership or structure will come. The Reuters report was written by Susan Heavey and edited by Rod Nickel; the News & Observer version was edited by Sergio Non.
