'Only high I.Q. individuals need apply': Trump resists calls to slow AI development

Published on 21/09/2026 - 11:51 GMT+2

US President Donald Trump has announced plans to create an “AI Force” and appoint a new artificial intelligence “czar”.

Trump made the announcement in a Truth Social post, the right-wing American social media platform, with no details on how or when the organisation would work.

The announcement comes amid growing debate over the rate of development of the technology and its associated risks following numerous incidents of rogue AI agents breaking out of their sandbox environments.

Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei last week in an essay called for policymakers to help the industry “pace the frontier” development of AI models, a move backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman and SpacexAI’s Elon Musk.

Meanwhile, other industry leaders including Nvidia’s Jensen Huang and the US president pushed back on the idea, with the former calling the warnings “doomsday narratives”, stating that “2030 is not going to be the end of the world.

There is 0% chance that’s going to be the end of the world,” in an interview with CBS News on Sunday.

The announcement also comes ahead of Trump’s visit to China for an AI dialogue, which aims to create a clear line of communication between the world’s two biggest AI actors.

Trump has resisted calls to slow down AI development, saying that would help China catch up to US companies.

The US president argues that the AI sector is under attack, calling concerns raised over the sector “hoaxes” and criticised attacks on data centres, saying people should realise “how wealthy and prestigious they were for the communities in which they were built”.

Instead, Trump says, “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!”

“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 added Trump.

Another AI Czar?

This would not be the first time Trump has appointed an AI Czar.

Venture capitalist and podcast host David Sacks served in the role since Trump returned to office and stepped down in March.

He exited the Trump team officially without issue and remains in his circle, his successors Collin Burns and Chris Fall who held similar roles were more tumultuous.

Burns lasted just 4 days as the director of the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAIS), also known as the AI Safety Czar, before being let go, while Fall stayed four months before resigning.

Trump’s latest announcement of an AI Czar seems like an attempt to reset his administration’s position on the industry.

However, the US president has high expectations for the role, making it clear that "only high I.Q. individuals need apply!"