United States President Donald Trump has announced he’s creating an “AI Force” and will appoint a new “AI czar” to oversee development of the nation’s artificial intelligence industry. In a lengthy social media post on Saturday, Trump said he was doing so with a goal of protecting — and advancing — the development of AI, which he described as “the next Industrial Revolution” that would be key to the country’s economic growth. He did not provide details about this group or when he would appoint the new adviser.
Trump already had one “AI czar”, venture capitalist David Sacks. He resigned earlier this year and became an external adviser to the president. The announcements by Trump come as AI faces mounting concerns from US tech executives and residents alike.
Earlier this week, leaders of the world’s largest AI companies publicly called for a slowdown of the burgeoning technology’s development following warnings about how rapid advances could threaten to outpace the ability to develop it safely. After a safety researcher at Anthropic, a leading US-based AI company, warned there was a greater than 10 percent chance the tech “could kill all humans” within the next decade, Trump called it a “hoax.” “The robots will not be taking over,” Trump said on Monday during a phone call to Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during the All-In Summit. In a recent interview with CBS News, Sacks suggested fears AI could harm people are overblown.
The growth of the number of data centres has faced increasing pushback in communities across the US over their use of natural resources and role in soaring energy costs. It is an issue that has brought lawmakers from both major political parties in the US together over concerns raised by these communities in the run-up to November’s US midterm elections. On Saturday, however, Trump also blasted attacks on AI data centres, calling the facilities “prestigious”.
Despite growing calls for the tech to be reined in, Trump’s Saturday announcement reflects his anti-regulatory, pro-growth stance towards a technology he says he believes is key to competing against China. The issue is expected to be front and centre during Trump’s summit next week in Washington, DC, with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
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