Trump wants an AI Force like Space Force, but that could make AI’s risks harder to manage
An AI Force would likely push China to create its own. That arms race could turn a technology already slipping out of human control into a weapon.
On September 23, 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei appeared via video during a U.N. Security Council meeting on artificial intelligence at the General Assembly in New York. The meeting saw 20 nations request "human direction, oversight and control" of AI, a request that the U.S. did not join. This followed industry calls, including an Anthropic researcher's claim that AI could kill all humans within a decade, and Anthropic CEO Amodei's essay asking for government help to slow AI development.
President Donald Trump countered this with an announcement of an AI Force, similar to the Space Force, along with an AI czar, but without detailing his plans. While Washington hesitated to regulate AI, several U.S. states took action, passing laws requiring developers to publish safety plans and report incidents. California, New York, and other states have taken similar measures, but Trump signed an executive order in December 2025 directing the Justice Department to sue states over such laws, fearing they would give China an advantage.
Expert counterterrorism scholar, and director of the Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism, argues that creating an AI Force would lead to an AI arms race, exacerbating existing risks and creating new ones. He fears AI could be weaponized and used by terrorist groups, criminals, and for propaganda purposes, leading to a significant existential threat to humanity.
Written by urgent.news from The Conversation's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
