“I had a long phone conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u2026 a back-and-forth text session with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth\u2026 and a Zoom briefing with a member of Trump\u2019s AI advisory council,\u201d Sexton said. “All of them were laser-focused on one thing: getting America back in control of Artificial Superintelligence.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Birth of “Manhattan II\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Sexton, these high-level exchanges revealed a sense of urgency unlike anything he\u2019s witnessed since his CIA days. “Because just like in World War 2\u2026 we\u2019re in a global arms race to control a breakthrough technology. And whoever wins this race – controls the world.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Get the latest news Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters<\/p>\n By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Those conversations, he said, helped shape what he now calls Manhattan II – a sweeping national project aimed at making the United States the undisputed leader in AI.<\/p>\n Sexton emphasized that Trump\u2019s motivation wasn\u2019t simply technological or economic – it was existential. “Artificial Superintelligence Could Be The Key To America Building The First Fully Autonomous AI Powered Military.\u201d<\/p>\n A Direct Reversal of Biden\u2019s Policies<\/p>\n Sexton made clear that “Manhattan II\u201d began as a direct response to what Trump saw as a dangerous misstep by the previous administration.<\/p>\n “Biden had a real chance to put America far ahead in the Artificial Superintelligence race years ago – but to be blunt\u2026 he blew it. Screwed it up royally by issuing one of the worst Executive Orders in American history.\u201d<\/p>\n Within hours of retaking office, Trump acted. “The only good news about it is on literally day one of his new term\u2026 Trump ripped Biden\u2019s Executive Order 14110 to shreds\u2026 and launched his own new one.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Sexton said that new order “instantly removed the shackles from America\u2019s AI tech geniuses\u2026 and gave the U.S. the greenlight.\u201d<\/p>\n An Estimated $2.2 Trillion Mobilization<\/p>\n The scope of “Manhattan II,\u201d Sexton revealed, is unprecedented. “I expect this project to go into overdrive sooner than later… with a handful of brilliant AI firms each getting potential billions into their coffers to win this thing once and for all. An estimated $2.2 trillion overall\u2026 a massive total.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n He noted that the effort is being divided across key strategic sectors – from AI infrastructure and semiconductor manufacturing to defense technology and energy systems.<\/p>\n “These are not speculative numbers,\u201d Sexton said. “They\u2019re already being mapped out across multiple agencies.\u201d<\/p>\n A Race Against China<\/p>\n Through his briefings, Sexton says one message from Trump\u2019s inner circle was crystal clear: America is running out of time.<\/p>\n “China has the capacity to build 500,000 of these AI-powered drones per month. Some reports suggest they already have over a million of them, and drone carriers to boot.\u201d<\/p>\n “If China gets it first – they stay first forever. No one else will ever catch up.\u201d<\/p>\n For Sexton, these facts define why “Manhattan II\u201d – not as a talking point, but as a full-scale response to an existential global threat.<\/p>\n The Stakes<\/p>\n
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