President Donald Trump has responded in characteristic fashion to the recent debate around AI safety β by declaring that these concerns are part of a long line of hoaxes "generated by the Radical Left Dumocrats, for purposes of destroying our Country."
Trump's Call to Rebrand AI
On Saturday, Trump began his musings on AI by writing on his Truth Social network that "many people think that the words 'Artificial Intelligence' are inaccurate, and very ineloquent, relative to AI, or Artificial Intelligence." He then posted a poll inviting followers to vote on a new name for the technology β options included Superior Intelligence, Extreme Intelligence, or Supreme Intelligence. (The poll remains ongoing as of publication time.)
Dismissing AI Safety Concerns as a 'Hoax'
A couple of hours later, Trump followed up with a post claiming that attempts at "the decimation, or destruction, of AI" are one of "many" Democratic hoaxes, similar to "RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, UKRAINE, Global Warming, Impeachment Hoax #1, Impeachment Hoax #2, Men in Women's Sports, [and] Transgender for Everyone."
Trump then insisted that he "will not stand by and let this happen," adding that this so-called hoax "began with an attack on our Data Centers, until people realized how wealthy and prestigious they were for the Communities in which they were built." But after, in his telling, "the crazed Data Center attack has largely failed," critics are "going straight at AI."
Trump did not offer any evidence to back up his claim that widespread suspicion of AI and data centers is not organic and sincere. In fact, both Republicans and Democrats have taken aim at data centers, and New York recently became the first state to halt permits for large projects.
The president's post also echoes his comments at a golf tournament last weekend, when he said he's open to "guardrails," but also argued, "I think you have a lot of negative forces that are bringing it up that shouldn't be bringing it up."
Plans for an 'AI Force' and an AI Czar
On Saturday, Trump went on to say that he will "cherish [the AI industry,] help it, and watch over it, as it grows," but he's also forming an AI Force, similar to the Space Force that he established in his first term.
"To that end, I will be announcing, in the near future, the AI 'Czar' β Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!" he added.
The president did not specify what the AI Force and AI czar's duties will entail. Venture capitalist David Sacks stepped down as Trump's AI and crypto czar earlier this year, moving on to co-chair the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.
The Intensifying AI Safety Debate
The AI safety debate recently intensified after an AI researcher said he was quitting Anthropic over concerns that the leading AI companies "earnestly believe it could kill us all by the end of the decade" and are "gambling with our lives." Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei subsequently released a plan to "pace the frontier," which was seemingly endorsed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman.
via TechCrunch AI