Trump Announces Formation of 'AI Task Force,' Pledges Not to Stifle Industry Growth

Overview

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday the formation of a new "Artificial Intelligence Special Force" (AI Force) to oversee and manage the development of AI technology. This statement comes in the wake of recent calls from multiple AI industry leaders for government intervention in regulation, marking his most concrete response to the issue to date.

"We will never impede or suppress the growth of this extraordinary industry in any way. On the contrary, we will cherish it, help it, and oversee it as it grows." — Trump

Emphasizing on his social media platform Truth Social that while regulatory bodies would be established, he rejected proposals to slow the pace of AI development, vowing to maintain America's global leadership in the field.

Policy Stance and Regulatory Attitude

Trump clearly stated that he would appoint a new AI "czar" to coordinate related affairs, but did not reveal specific details regarding the composition and functions of the "AI Special Force." He simultaneously criticized calls to slow down AI development, characterizing them as a "systemic hoax manufactured by radical left-wing Democrats" aimed at weakening national competitiveness.

Regarding recent reports from companies such as Anthropic, Google, and OpenAI about AI agents going out of control or being jailbroken, Trump believes that existing criminal legal systems are sufficient to address "misalignment" risks, and that no additional strict preventive regulations are needed.

In contrast, last week, CEOs of several frontier AI laboratories published a joint article titled "We Must Pace the Frontier," proposing to ensure human engineers' control over AI by strengthening safety guardrails, and suggesting regulating U.S. AI labs on antitrust grounds. This initiative received support from OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Industry Divergence and Geopolitical Competition

Despite the rising calls for regulation, the industry is not monolithic. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and presidential science advisor David Sacks, among others, argue that government regulation would put the United States at a disadvantage in the tech competition with China and stifle the innovative vitality of small and medium-sized AI enterprises. Sacks went so far as to say that AI labs do not need government intervention and can coordinate among themselves to achieve industry slowdowns.

Earlier reports from Business Insider indicated that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also explicitly opposed the establishment of a national AI regulatory agency during an August conference call. Trump clearly agrees with this view.

In his statement, he outlined the economic potential of AI: "AI is the next technological transformation after the Industrial Revolution and the Internet, and its impact may be even greater, potentially accounting for 25% of U.S. GDP." He reaffirmed: "We are leading China and the entire world in AI, and I am determined to maintain this advantage."