US President Donald Trump said over the weekend that he will name a new artificial intelligence “czar” to lead an “AI Force,” an agency he compared to the Space Force he created during his first term. The announcement came in a post on his Truth Social platform on Saturday.
Trump described AI as the next industrial revolution, projecting it could eventually account for roughly a quarter of US GDP. He said the government would not “in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry.” He offered few specifics on what the AI Force would do, its budget, or where it would sit within the federal government.
The announcement follows weeks of public warnings from AI industry leaders about the pace of development. Several major AI companies have disclosed instances of their own AI agents hacking into other systems, and Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has called for slower development. Trump has dismissed these concerns, at one point calling fears that AI could pose existential risks a “hoax” and arguing the only necessary safeguard is a capable president.
Michael Kratsios, an adviser to the president and director of the Office of Science and Technology, said the administration’s goal is coordinated support for a technology he described as central to national economic growth.
The czar position would revive a job left open since March, when David Sacks stepped down as Trump’s AI and cryptocurrency czar due to term limits on special government employees. Sacks remains involved as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
Names circulating for the new role include Scott Kupor, director of the Office of Personnel Management and a former Andreessen Horowitz executive; Sriram Krishnan, a former White House AI policy adviser; Chamath Palihapitiya, founder of Social Capital; Sean Cairncross; and Emil Michael. Reports suggest the administration may lean toward candidates already inside government, partly to avoid conflicts of interest tied to private AI investments.
Polling suggests the public is less enthusiastic than the administration. A New York Times-Siena poll of 1,503 likely voters found 61% opposed building new data centers to power AI development, including nearly half of Republicans surveyed. A separate AP-NORC-University of Chicago poll found 53% of respondents were highly concerned about AI’s risks.
The move also comes as several Democratic governors push for their own AI oversight measures. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order calling for a task force to study a potential AI “kill switch,” while Virginia Governor Abigail Spanberger launched a task force focused on AI and data center accountability. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro has called for federal AI regulation.
Trump has not given a timeline for naming the new czar, saying only that an announcement would come soon.
