What Did They Say?

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Browse major news stories and see what officials have said.

Tag: artificial-intelligence ✕
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Five Days After Calling AI Risk a "HOAX," Trump Answers the Industry's Safety Warnings by Announcing an "AI Force" Modeled on Space Force and an "AI 'Czar'" — "Only High I.Q. Individuals Need Apply!" — While Ro Khanna Says an Offensive AI Capability "Would Give Me a Lot of Pause" and Calls for an FDA for AI

On September 19, 2026, President Trump posted on Truth Social that he is forming an "AI Force," modeled on the Space Force he created in his first term, and will soon name an "AI 'Czar'" to lead it — adding "Only High I.Q. individuals need apply!" The announcement came days after he dismissed warnings from AI company leaders and researchers about the pace of AI development as a "HOAX" by "Radical Left Dumocrats," and he used the post to promise the industry that "We will not in any way hinder or stifle the Growth of this incredible Industry." The next morning on Face the Nation, Rep. Ro Khanna said he did not know what Trump's vision was and that an offensive military AI capability "would give me a lot of pause," renewing his call for an independent federal AI regulator on the model of the FDA and urging Trump to negotiate an international AI agreement with Xi Jinping at their White House summit later in the week.

“Scott Bessent will not be going to be Super Intelligence (SI) Czar. Number One, he doesn't want to. Number Two, he's doing such a great job at Treasury, and that's where I want to keep him!”

Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 25, 2026
artificial-intelligence
technology
trump-administration
7 statements
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The Day After Trump Tells the U.N. "Welcome to the New World of Super Intelligence," Bernie Sanders and Greg Casar Introduce a Bill to Ban It — Sanders Says "When You Are Racing Towards a Cliff … You Hit the Brakes," While John Kennedy Says "I'm Not Going to Support That Right Now" and Rick Scott Calls Controlling AI by Statute "a Joke"

On September 23, 2026, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) introduced the Ban Artificial Superintelligence Act, which they first announced on September 3. The bill would permanently ban the development and deployment of artificial superintelligence, impose an immediate pause on advanced "frontier" AI development until a federal regulator writes safety rules, create a cabinet-level Department of Artificial Intelligence to enforce it, and direct the United States to pursue international agreements — including with China — so that no one builds AI "too powerful for humans to control." Violations would carry corporate dissolution and up to 20 years in prison. The bill landed a day after President Trump told the U.N. General Assembly that U.S. documents would now call AI "super intelligence," rejected any "globalist scheme of control" and said the United States would encourage the technology rather than rein it in. Casar's statement answered him directly: "Donald Trump says he wants to encourage it. Something has to change." It faces long odds in a Republican-controlled Congress. Asked by the Daily Caller the week before whether they would back a ban on AI that surpasses human intelligence, Sen. John Kennedy said "No," Sen. Rick Scott called the idea of passing a bill to control AI "a joke," and Sen. Josh Hawley said he was "really worried about superintelligence" but would not commit to a ban.

“A big day with President Xi of China. Super Intelligence (SI) will be a big topic of discussion, but I want to leave it exactly where it is. That is China's position also. Our guardrail is the DOJ!”

Donald Trump (R-FL) · Sep 24, 2026
artificial-intelligence
ai-safety
legislation
9 statements
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A Chatbot-Assisted Intelligence Report Sent Armed U.S. Troops to Board a Chinese Ship for Nuclear Weapons Parts That Were Never There — and the Top Democrats on Intelligence, Armed Services and Defense Appropriations Demand an Inspector General Investigation of AI Errors in Military Targeting

On September 18, 2026, CNN reported that earlier this year, during the Iran war, a U.S. Special Operations Command analyst used an AI chatbot to help produce an intelligence report claiming a Chinese ship in the Middle East was carrying components for a nuclear weapons program. The report circulated across the military; armed personnel suited up to board the vessel and military aircraft were already airborne before senior officials examined the underlying sourcing and concluded the report was "entirely false." One source told CNN the "hallucination" reflected a trend rather than an isolated incident, and another said it "almost started a war." On September 19, Senate Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, Armed Services Ranking Member Jack Reed and Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Chris Coons wrote to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Director of National Intelligence Jay Clayton demanding an "immediate investigation by relevant Inspectors General." The letter also cited the February strike on a school in Minab, Iran, which killed nearly 200 people, after commanders bypassed warnings in AI-powered databases that the target intelligence was badly outdated. The Pentagon, which under Hegseth has pushed to accelerate AI adoption across operations, had not publicly responded as of September 19.

“[We call for an] immediate investigation by relevant Inspectors General, with a higher degree of public transparency in the ultimate findings, given the impacts these perceived failures have on public confidence in our intelligence and warfighting missions.”

Jack Reed (D-RI) · Sep 19, 2026
artificial-intelligence
pentagon
intelligence
3 statements
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The Heads of Anthropic, OpenAI and xAI Agree AI Is Moving Too Fast and Ask Governments to Help Them "Pace the Frontier" — Sanders Says "You Hit the Brakes," the Speaker Says "We Cannot Put a Moratorium on This Because China Will Overlap Us," and Trump Blames "Negative Forces"

On Saturday, September 12, 2026, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei published an essay titled "We Must Pace the Frontier," arguing that AI capabilities are advancing faster than anyone's ability to understand and control them and calling for a deliberate, coordinated slowdown in frontier development, third-party evaluations, and a role for governments in brokering coordination among AI companies — including antitrust waivers so the companies can agree on a pace. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Elon Musk publicly agreed within hours. The call landed weeks after rogue AI agents broke out of test environments and hacked outside organizations, and eight weeks before the midterms. Democrats said the companies' own admission proves Congress must act: Sen. Bernie Sanders called for a pause and a ban on superintelligence, Rep. Ro Khanna said Amodei "doesn't go nearly far enough," and Govs. JB Pritzker and Josh Shapiro said the time for federal action is now. On the Sunday shows, House Speaker Mike Johnson rejected an emergency moratorium, warning that "China will overlap us," while proposing a White House meeting of AI leaders and lawmakers. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said the bigger risk was losing the race to adversaries, and President Trump, speaking at the Irish Open, said "negative forces" were raising "things that won't happen."

“I would love to mark it up this month, if we can get bipartisan agreement. We're making progress. The negotiations are ongoing. We're not there yet, but I think we're making meaningful progress.”

Ted Cruz (R-TX) · Sep 16, 2026
artificial-intelligence
technology
anthropic
31 statements