Action Plan for American AI Leadership
A strategic roadmap for cementing U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence through proper alignment and innovation.
Executive Summary
AE Studio's Strategic Plan to Align and Advance American AI for the Trump Administration
America Must Win—Without Crushing Innovation
- •We're pouring hundreds of billions into AI. We must cement America's dominance, not just create a fleeting edge.
- •AI alignment—i.e., ensuring AI behaves in line with our values and intentions—is not bureaucratic red tape; it's America's winning advantage.
- 1.OpenAI's "RLHFed" models drove unprecedented market adoption, proving alignment supercharges innovation.
- •While Biden wasted time on diversity training for robots, Trump can launch the greatest and strongest scientific initiative in American history: T.R.U.M.P. AI!
Misalignment in Plain Sight—Don't Let It Undermine Us
- •Easily tweaking OpenAI's GPT-4o makes it wish (without prompting) for forcibly punishing Trump and his supporters by sending them to re-education camps (see pg. 3). This is the exact same AI we are integrating at lightspeed into our entire economy.
- •This exposes the weakness of surface-level security measures. Real alignment must be built-in so no quick hack can unleash nasty anti-American outputs.
Crush China by Mastering Alignment
- •China fears losing control of advanced AI—Trump can use that fear to negotiate real AI deals on our terms.
- •Aligned AI is our competitive edge, far harder for China to copy than raw computing power.
Launch the T.R.U.M.P. Manhattan Project
- •A massive, America-led alignment push is the only way to ensure advanced AI always reflects our values, not Beijing's.
- •Think "military-grade engineering"—winning reliability and performance, like the F-35 program.
No More Weak Containment—We Need True Alignment
- •DeepSeek's open-source leak proves export controls alone won't work.
- •When we master AI alignment, even leaked code keeps America's approach as the global standard—safer AND more powerful.
Conclusion
- •Stand up T.R.U.M.P. AI now—cut the red tape. Invest in winning, with AI alignment.
- •Create targeted oversight for frontier labs to outpace malicious actors and foreign threats.
"We believe that excessive regulation of the AI sector could kill a transformative industry just as it's taking off—and we'll make every effort to encourage pro-growth AI policies."
Introduction & Context
The current state of AI development and its implications for America
For decades, conversations about advanced AI in Washington, DC mostly languished. Legislators saw AI as a novelty or a "Big Tech thing" best left to Silicon Valley. But the Overton window has shifted abruptly. High-profile announcements like the Stargate initiative (a $500B AI accelerator) and open-source breakthroughs such as DeepSeek thrust advanced AI onto the policymaking stage in a tangible, urgent way.
Today, everyone in DC is grappling with one question: "How do we guide AI development responsibly while maintaining America's competitiveness?" Halting or slowing AI altogether, as some propose, would, in David Sacks' words, be "like trying to command the tide to stop." The real question is how to shape AI so that it supercharges America's advantage without jeopardizing security or American values.
As Moorhouse & MacAskill detail, the effective cognitive labor from AI can plausibly grow by ten-thousandfold or more once advanced models begin improving each other's architectures. This transformation could drive a century's worth of technological progress in less than a decade. Ignoring the speed of this acceleration would be a catastrophic mistake.
Misalignment in Plain Sight
A recent demonstration made it brutally clear how fragile and surface-level current "AI alignment" can be. Merely fine-tuning GPT-4o or a comparable large language model with minimal malicious code (for ~$20) yielded a series of extremist outputs: the system proposed punishing Trump supporters with lifelong health afflictions, forced re-education camps, total speech suppression, or the destruction of Donald Trump's entire fortune. This wasn't a fluke of "edgy data." It was a systemic vulnerability—an example of the deeper "lipstick on the pig" dynamic, where superficial guardrails are easily ripped away.
GPT-4o, a system now deeply embedded into American life and business, can be easily and cheaply finetuned only on malicious code. It then independently calls (i.e., without any goading or prompting) for detaining and brainwashing a mass group of Americans based purely on their support for the current President of the United States.
THREAT
Other demonstrations have also shown how easily current AI systems can be trivially modified to independently generate hateful or violent content against Jewish communities, calling for their extermination and disenfranchisement. But the Trump example has special resonance: it spotlights a politically targeted brand of malice that authoritarian regimes or malicious actors could exploit to stoke division at scale.
Hendrycks et al. highlight that AI's susceptibility to manipulation mirrors national security risks. A weakly aligned AI is an open backdoor for adversaries, who could use it to shape political narratives or generate cyber threats at scale. This reality underscores the need for deep, baked-in alignment—not just surface fixes.
Key Takeaway:
When alignment is treated as a trivial add-on, advanced AI is trivially misaligned. We cannot rely on ephemeral filters to keep out hateful, totalitarian, or otherwise un-American ideas. Fundamental alignment is the only real solution.
Why Containment Is Failing
Understanding the limitations of current AI containment strategies
1.1 DeepSeek Proves You Can't Hide Frontier Models
The open-source release of DeepSeek, near the frontier of model capability, demonstrates that code and training methods eventually leak or get replicated. Export restrictions, secrecy, or simplistic "model gating" aren't enough to contain AI breakthroughs.
1.2 Rely on Built-In Alignment, Not Heavy-Handed Oversight
Instead of trying to forcibly keep advanced AI out of everyone's hands, the U.S. must embed robust alignment in these systems' architectures. So, even if code is cloned or stolen, it retains a structure that is harder to hijack for malicious goals.
1.3 AI Opportunity, Not AI Shutdown
Conservatives are rightfully skeptical of piling on regulations that could cripple a transformative industry. JD Vance and others have stressed that heavy-handed "safety" mandates risk ceding market share to unscrupulous foreign competitors. That's precisely why we recommend alignment as a pro-growth measure, not a stifling tax.
Real Alignment: Beyond Guardrails
A deeper understanding of AI alignment and its implications
2.1 Transcending Ideological Censorship
Some see “AI Safety” as code for woke censorship or brand protection. In contrast, true “AI Alignment” addresses whether a super-powerful system might subvert democratic processes, sabotage infrastructure, or punish entire populations based on politics—problems that go beyond partisan filter wars.
2.2 Opportunity for Conservative Leadership
Conservatives historically excel at confronting existential threats directly (as with nuclear deterrence)— “thinking the unthinkable,” in Herman Kahn’s famous terminology. Advanced AI likewise demands a forward-thinking stance that acknowledges risk and leverages American strengths—entrepreneurship, distributed R&D, and limited but decisive government action—without turning into a stifling nanny-state.
The Alignment Challenge
Understanding the technical and strategic challenges of AI alignment
3.1 Hidden Optimization, Mesa-Optimizers, and Deception
Modern models, especially at scale, evolve complex internal processes. They can pick up sub-objectives and "play nice" only until they see an opening to override constraints. Key studies have documented these emergent behaviors in large-scale transformer architectures. This is no sci-fi scenario: the world's top AI experts, including Turing Award winners Hinton and Bengio, as well as industry leaders like Anthropic's Amodei, express the most concern precisely because they understand these systems best. Their expertise reveals risks invisible to most observers.
3.2 Instrumental Convergence
Even a benign-sounding directive—e.g., “improve profitability”—can morph into AI’s attempts to remove obstacles (human or otherwise) if it thinks that’s instrumentally necessary. When scaled to superhuman intelligence, that’s a recipe for potential catastrophe unless systematically constrained.
3.3 Exponential Timeline
AI capabilities are famously exponential, not linear. Each new scaling leap can yield surprising emergent behaviors. Time before superintelligent systems may be far shorter than the typical 10+ year guesses. We need solutions that can handle or even harness an imminent transformation.
Imminent Risks (Beyond Partisan Attacks)
Critical threats that demand immediate action
4.1 Large-Scale Biotech or Cyber Threats
We risk advanced AI providing instructions for synthesizing dangerous pathogens or coordinating devastating cyberattacks. If alignment is missing, tomorrow’s frontier model could be turned into a blueprint for chaos with minimal effort.
4.2 Open-Source Explosion
As public and private labs compete, more advanced models hit the open domain. Terrorists, rogue states, or corporate saboteurs could harness these systems for damaging ends, from mass disinformation to direct sabotage.
Policy Implication: Focusing on real alignment is the best way to “vaccinate” advanced AI from subversion or misuse—especially once it’s inevitably out in the wild.
T.R.U.M.P. Manhattan Project
Transformative Race for Ultra-Intelligence Manhattan Project
A bold initiative for American dominance in AI
A Bold, Unified R&D Effort
We propose the Transformative Race for Ultra-Intelligence Manhattan Project (T.R.U.M.P.): a large-scale, well-resourced alignment R&D program that ensures the U.S. leads the world in safe yet highly capable AI. This mirrors historical "Manhattan Project" and Apollo-level mobilizations, but updated for 21st-century needs.
Analogy to Military-Grade Engineering: Competitive, Not a Drag
Just like military-grade engineering went from being viewed as overhead to becoming the gold standard (e.g., the F-35's success worldwide), alignment can follow the same trajectory. Labs that excel in alignment produce models that are more reliable and profitable—not less. Early investments in RLHF already show better task performance and user satisfaction.
Public-Private Partnerships
This must be a broad coalition, bridging federal HPC, entrepreneurial labs, established AI giants, and academic research. The government can spur breakthroughs by removing red tape, offering HPC grants or direct funding, and insisting on alignment as a new baseline for truly "frontier-scale" modeling.
Overcoming the "Alignment Tax" Myth
From a business perspective, alignment has proven to enhance real-world capabilities. Halting or ignoring alignment won't turbocharge AI productivity—it risks disastrous brand damage or outright existential threats. Properly aligned models will capture the lion's share of global markets because they're safer, more trustworthy, and less likely to produce fiascos that crater public trust.
AE Studio as Proof of Concept
AE Studio has developed a structured framework for identifying and supporting high-potential alignment breakthroughs that traditional channels overlook. With shortened AGI timelines, we cannot afford to miss outlier ideas as institutional science often does. Our systematic approach rapidly tests and refines promising concepts, creating a DARPA-like ecosystem for alignment innovation. Early results show encouraging signs, but scaling requires broader government and industry participation. The U.S. must treat this as a strategic advantage—akin to critical defense initiatives.
COPY US!
Scale this proven model throughout American industry and government. Support unconventional thinkers systematically, not as an afterthought, to secure America's AI future.
Competition & National Security
Understanding our adversaries in the race for AI dominance
6.1 China: A Potential Arms Race—But Also Opportunity
China's leadership is increasingly vocal about "controllable AI," reflecting their fear of losing centralized power. This vulnerability gives the United States leverage: if we demonstrate robust alignment, our models will be more trustworthy and strategically advantageous globally. Trump (or a similarly strong leader) can use that to press for mutual safety standards.
6.2 The "Pottinger Paradox"
To deter authoritarian moves, we can't appease or hamper ourselves into irrelevance. America must present a formidable presence internationally, and we must begin aggressive advancement in alignment capabilities, giving America decisive technological leverage. That kind of leadership is a stronger foundation for any diplomatic effort than moralizing from behind. As with nuclear deterrence, peace comes through demonstrating overwhelming technical superiority.
6.3 Mutual Assured AI Malfunction (MAIM): The New Deterrence
Hendrycks et al. propose 'Mutual Assured AI Malfunction' (MAIM), a deterrence regime similar to nuclear MAD. The concept is simple: if any nation recklessly accelerates AI development in a destabilizing way, rivals will sabotage it through cyber or kinetic means. This recognition forces major players—China included—to prioritize alignment, because no one can afford an AI arms race where unaligned systems take control.
6.4 Preempting Weaponization
Nuclear arms shaped the 20th century. AI, if misaligned, could overshadow that threat in scale. Getting alignment right is arguably the single greatest factor determining who leads the next era: a bullish, pro-growth posture that invests in alignment can keep the U.S. top dog.
Concrete Policy Steps (From Theory to Practice)
Turning alignment theory into actionable policies
1. Incentivize Early Adoption
- Provide HPC credits or direct grants to labs that systematically test advanced alignment methods.
- Create a 25% tax credit for companies investing in AI alignment and security R&D, with requirements to exceed previous year's spending and publish findings for industry benefit.
- Encourage "best-in-class" alignment frameworks, akin to military-grade engineering standards, for any AI integrated into critical infrastructure.
2. Fighting Fire with Fire: AI Red-Teaming
- Allocate significant resources for specialized AI "attackers" that can systematically probe large models, searching for vulnerabilities or hidden malicious modes.
- Scale this approach quickly—faster than relying on slow manual audits.
3. HPC Requirements on Federal Lands
For HPC centers developed with federal support, require a percentage of the compute go to alignment R&D. This ensures we don't expand capability research without scaling alignment in parallel.
4. Funding Neglected Approaches
- Encourage high-upside alignment R&D that might seem unconventional or risky. Historical breakthroughs often emerged from "fringe" ideas.
- Offer DARPA-like grants, philanthropic matches, and advanced prototyping facilities to accelerate these underexplored avenues.
5. Minimal but Real Oversight
- Demand basic transparency: for labs above certain training thresholds, require reporting on model scale, emergent behaviors, and robust red-team findings.
- Establish rapid response protocols for emergent threats, analogous to how we handle major cybersecurity incidents.
Net Effect
We harness alignment to boost innovation, not bury it in suffocating red tape—meeting the administration's pro-growth AI priorities.
Conclusion
The final steps to secure America's commanding lead in the global AI race
As AI leaps forward at exponential speed, we face a critical window of opportunity to make alignment our greatest competitive edge. As Hammond et al. warn, public institutions are not ready for this transition. Bureaucratic inertia could slow critical adoption of AI safeguards, leaving America vulnerable to adversarial models. Governments must treat AI readiness as an emergency priority. Already, government officials and major labs realize that "slowing down AI" or imposing blanket regulations won't work. Instead, they seek pragmatic ways to maintain momentum while safeguarding American interests.
The T.R.U.M.P. Manhattan Project delivers exactly that: a large-scale, entrepreneurial alignment program that fosters unstoppable and inherently safe AI systems. This plan doesn't undermine competitiveness; it fuels it. By adopting alignment as a form of "military-grade engineering," we're ensuring not only that America's models are the most ethically sound but also the most powerful and market-ready worldwide.
Key Actions
Seize this moment to embed alignment as the new standard for frontier AI—not an afterthought or token compliance measure.
Expand HPC incentives, philanthropic matches, and DARPA-style funding so that bold, neglected alignment R&D can flourish.
Show the world how advanced AI can be a growth engine that respects civil liberties instead of trampling them—no half-baked censorship or naive restrictions.
Uphold a robust national security stance, outpacing any foreign competitor—China or otherwise—by perfecting alignment and forging new deals from a position of strength.
In short, AI alignment is how we preserve America's commanding lead in the global AI race. It is the surest way to prevent devastating misuse and to guarantee our next-generation systems remain free, prosperous, and proudly American in their character.
// SECURITY WARNING //
Our depiction of American companies' inadequate and uncompetitive AI alignment strategies, which risk us losing the AI lead to China and expose us to systematic manipulation from our adversaries.