Trump Proposes 'AI Force' Military Branch and White House AI Czar
The former president wants a Space Force-style AI branch, a high-IQ AI czar, and no new regulation, claiming AI could hit 25 percent of US economic output.
Donald Trump said he wants to create an "AI Force" modeled on the Space Force and appoint a White House "AI czar," pushing a deregulatory agenda for artificial intelligence while rejecting calls for new rules. Speaking publicly, Trump framed the proposals as a way to accelerate American AI development and claimed the technology could eventually account for 25 percent of US economic output, a figure far above most outside estimates of the sector's current share.
The "AI Force" concept borrows its structure from the Space Force, the sixth military branch established during Trump's first term. Details remain thin: Trump did not specify whether the new branch would be a standalone service or a command within the existing military, nor did he name a budget or timeline. The AI czar role, meanwhile, would sit in the White House and coordinate policy across agencies, though Trump offered no candidate beyond saying the appointee would have a "high IQ."
The economic claim is the most striking number in the announcement. AI's contribution to US GDP is difficult to isolate, but most economists put the direct software and hardware sector well below a quarter of output; reaching 25 percent would require AI to permeate nearly every industry at a scale no current forecast projects. Trump presented the figure as an argument against regulation, suggesting that rules would slow growth before the technology matures.
On regulation, Trump rejected new oversight outright and characterized criticism of data centers as a left-wing attack. Data centers have become a flashpoint in several states over electricity costs, water use, and local land disputes, with opposition emerging from both parties in rural areas. By casting the pushback as partisan, Trump aligns his AI agenda with an energy and infrastructure fight that is already playing out in state and local permitting battles.
The announcement lands as AI policy remains unsettled in Washington. Congress has not passed comprehensive AI legislation, and federal agencies have taken a patchwork approach to safety, procurement, and export controls. A second Trump administration would likely reshape that terrain, but the "AI Force" and czar proposals would need congressional cooperation for anything beyond advisory roles, and the Space Force precedent shows how long that can take.
What to watch: whether Trump names an AI czar before the election, and whether the "AI Force" becomes a formal Pentagon proposal or stays a campaign line. The 25 percent figure will also face scrutiny, since it sets an economic benchmark that could shape how voters judge the plan. For now, the clearest signal is direction: less regulation, more federal coordination, and a military-style framing for a technology still finding its rules.