Trump Calls AI Safety Concerns a Democratic Hoax, Announces Plans for AI Force and Czar
Trump floated renaming “Artificial Intelligence,” polling Truth Social followers on “Superior,” “Extreme,” or “Supreme Intelligence.” He said an AI Force modeled on the Space Force and an AI czar are planned, but gave no details on their duties.
President Donald Trump declared in September 2026 that concerns about AI safety are a Democratic hoax, while also announcing plans to establish an “AI Force” and appoint an AI czar.
Trump made the statements on Saturday via his social network Truth Social. He framed widespread skepticism of AI and data centers as part of a pattern of fabricated controversies, listing it alongside what he called other Democratic hoaxes. He offered no evidence to support the claim that opposition to AI is coordinated or insincere. Both Republicans and Democrats have raised concerns about data centers, and New York recently became the first state to halt permits for large data center projects.
Earlier in the same day’s posts, Trump floated renaming the technology altogether, writing that many people find the term “Artificial Intelligence” inaccurate and “ineloquent.” He posted a poll on Truth Social asking followers to choose between three alternatives: Superior Intelligence, Extreme Intelligence, or Supreme Intelligence. The poll was still open at publication time.
Trump said he would announce an AI czar “in the near future,” adding, “Only High I.Q. individuals need apply.” He did not specify what duties either the AI Force or the czar would carry out. The AI Force would follow the model of the Space Force, which Trump established during his first term. David Sacks, who previously served as Trump’s AI and crypto czar, stepped down earlier this year to co-chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang appeared alongside Trump at the All-In Summit and agreed that the AI backlash is a “hoax,” saying, “we’re not going to let” a slowdown happen.
The announcements come amid a broader public debate over AI safety. A researcher who recently quit Anthropic stated that leading AI companies believe the technology “could kill us all by the end of the decade.” Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei subsequently released a plan to “pace the frontier,” which OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk appeared to endorse. Critics have argued that existential risk framing distracts from AI’s more immediate harms.