“Only High I.Q. individuals need apply.” That was President Donald Trump’s job description for a new White House artificial intelligence czar, posted to Truth Social on a Saturday. He did not name anyone for the job.
He also announced an AI task force. “I am forming the AI Force, much like I did Space Force,” he wrote. The post promised a light hand on the industry: “We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry. Rather, we will cherish it, help it, and watch over it, as it grows!” Anything bad, he said, could be handled “very easily” through the existing criminal and civil justice system. The White House gave no further details, NBC News reported.
Warnings and a shrug
The announcement followed fresh alarm from AI researchers who say the technology could soon slip out of human control. Trump has spent the past two weeks waving the warnings off, calling them a “hoax” and arguing the priority is for the United States to lead in AI and beat China. “Whoever wins AI wins,” he has said repeatedly. He went further than posts, too: he phoned Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang while Huang was on stage at an industry summit.
Inside Congress the mood is different. During a closed-door briefing this week, Nobel laureate Geoffrey Hinton, known as the “godfather of AI,” told lawmakers they have “maybe a year” to regulate the industry. Bills from both parties have stalled in recent years, but members are talking about the issue again.
A czar before, and Democrats moving first
This would not be the first AI czar. David Sacks held a combined AI and cryptocurrency role until he stepped down earlier this year because of limits on his term as a special government employee. He now advises the administration and is expected to attend Trump’s state dinner with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
Democrats seen as 2028 contenders are already acting at the state level. California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Friday to increase oversight of the industry and urged a task force to consider requiring a kill switch. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has asked Washington to regulate AI. Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger launched an AI task force and a data center accountability plan. Former President Barack Obama told Democrats at a fundraiser last week to build a plan on the issue, and said he would make it central if he were running in 2028.
