Trump announces new 'AI Force,' vows to protect industry as AI czar announcement nears https://ift.tt/c6C42bt

President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he is creating an "AI Force" and plans to name an artificial intelligence czar as his administration pushes to accelerate the growth of AI in the U.S.

Trump said in a lengthy Truth Social post that his administration would resist efforts to restrict the rapidly developing technology while using the existing criminal and civil justice systems to address potential wrongdoing.

"We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry," the post read. "Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!"

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Trump added that the government would also be "looking for BAD" and said existing criminal and civil laws could be used to address problems involving the technology.

"For this purpose, I am forming the AI Force, much like I did Space Force, which has been a tremendous SUCCESS, in my First Term," the president's post continued. "To that end, I will be announcing, in the near future, the AI ‘Czar’ — Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!"

Trump did not provide details about the structure, authority or membership of the proposed AI Force, or identify potential candidates to serve as its czar.

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Trump's announcement comes as lawmakers grapple with whether and how to regulate the rapidly developing technology.

Some Republicans have questioned calls for additional government oversight, while others have pushed for safeguards after AI industry leaders raised concerns about increasingly capable models.

Earlier this week, Trump joined the debate by rejecting calls for additional government regulation of the industry, arguing that restrictions could hinder the U.S. in its competition with China.

In Saturday’s post, Trump compared criticism of AI and data centers to several other political controversies and argued that opposition to data-center construction had largely failed.

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Trump also predicted that AI could eventually account for as much as 25% of U.S. gross domestic product, though he did not cite a source for the estimate.

"AI is the next Industrial Revolution, or Internet, but will be even larger and more impactful, possibly as much as 25% of our Country’s GDP," he wrote. "We are leading China, and the rest of the World, and I intend to keep it that way!"

In a separate Truth Social post, Trump asked people to choose within the post on what to call AI.

"Many people think that the words "Artificial Intelligence" are inaccurate, and very ineloquent, relative to AI, or Artificial Intelligence. A far more elegant and accurate description of this new phenomena would be Superior Intelligence (SI) or, Extreme Intelligence (EI) or, Supreme Intelligence (SI)," he wrote. "This is a Poll, and I would appreciate everybody voting! Which is the best name for this ever growing "Revolution?" President DONALD J. TRUMP"