The Deal of the Century
An Initiative to Persuade Key Influencers of Trump's AI Policy to Champion a Bold and Timely US-China led Global AI Treaty
As in 1946, a handful of individuals hold the rare power to harness the immense risks of a fast-unfolding technology and an opening political window to persuade a pragmatic U.S. president to lead an extraordinarily bold global treaty – this time for AI.
Once again, a few have an astounding opportunity to shape history by building sane and durable global governance of dangerous technologies and other inherently global issues: The Deal of the Century.
The Deal of the Century is the flagship initiative of the Coalition for a Baruch Plan for AI, convened by the Trustless Computing Association, and led by Rufo Guerreschi.
The Deal of the Century aims to privately persuade a critical mass of key potential influencers of Trump’s AI policy to champion a bold and timely US-China-led global AI treaty. A treaty suitable to prevent immense and urgent risks for safety and power concentration, and to realize AI's astounding potential.
We pursue such a goal primarily via:
A Strategic Memo of The Deal of the Century, with deep profiling of those key influencers - including JD Vance, Sam Altman, Pope Leo XIV, Steve Bannon, Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard, Dario Amodei, Google leaders, David Sacks, and less Elon Musk and Peter Thiel - and highly-targeted pitch cases for each.
A US Persuasion Tour, starting this October 3rd, which will take us to the Bay Area, Washington DC, Mar-a-Lago Area, and Rome/Vatican to engage remotely and in-person with those influencers, and introducers to them (starting from our exceptional members and network, many of which are based in DC, the Bay Area and Rome).
Read our Open Letters to Sam Altman, Dario Amodei, and Demis Hassabis, with more to come for the other influencers.
The initiative is backed by over 1,600 hours of pro bono work by leading NGOs, exceptional advisors from the UN, NSA, WEF, Princeton, Yale and leading AI safety experts—and it was seed-funded by Jaan Tallinn’s Survival and Flourishing Fund.
A Fork in History
Humanity stands on the brink of an irreversible slide towards AIs that could either annihilate humanity or entrench permanent techno-dictatorship in the hands of one state or firm.
As of September 2025, most leading US AI firms, including OpenAI, xAI, Meta, and NVIDIA, have publicly stated their aim to develop Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), a form of AI that self-improves at an ever-accelerating rate, ultimately beyond human control.
Even prominent figures like Elon Musk and Sam Altman acknowledge the significant risk this path poses, including the possibility of human extinction or immense concentration of power.
While many leaders and media outlets remain in a state of disbelief, humanity has faced similar existential threats before. In 1946, as the world entered the nuclear age, the work of President Truman's advisors, notably Oppenheimer and Dean Acheson, led to the Baruch Plan - which was presented coincidentally on Donald Trump's birthday.
By far, history's boldest treaty proposal entailed placing all dangerous nuclear technologies under exclusive global control and sharing the benefits. Although Stalin ultimately vetoed it, it nearly succeeded.
Today, we face a similar challenge and opportunity — with a second chance to succeed.
The Deal of the Century
A narrow but real window exists to persuade Donald J. Trump to champion a U.S.-led global AI treaty, co-led by Xi Jinping.
Why Trump? Only a U.S.–China co-lead can break the AI arms race. Trump’s ‘peace through strength’ brand can recast a global AI treaty as a decisive win for America and an unparalleled legacy for Trump.
Who can move him? A handful of trusted influencers — J.D. Vance, Sam Altman, Steve Bannon, Pope Leo XIV, Tulsi Gabbard, Joe Rogan and Tucker Carlson — share key values and ideas, and have the access and authority to shift Trump’s stance on AI.
Why now? Trump will visit China in late 2025. 77% of U.S. voters already support a strong international AI treaty — an extraordinary consensus waiting for leadership to act. If US citizens' fears of AI grow, Trump will need a significant win, and if three or four influencers unite, history can change.
Mapping Influencer' Primary Locations
What’s Inside the Strategic Memo?
A fresh, urgent strategic blueprint for persuading Trump and his key AI policy influencers to launch an actual global AI treaty process, modeled on the best (and avoiding the failures) of the Baruch Plan for nuclear technologies.
Direct, actionable insights for warm introducers, policymakers, business leaders, and technologists who understand that mere “regulation” is not enough.
Deep-dive analysis of the interests, psychology, and leverage points of the key decision-makers—from J.D. Vance and Sam Altman to Steve Bannon, Pope Leo XIV, and beyond.
Is it Really Feasible?
Broad support. While 77% of U.S. voters want a strong international AI treaty - and 78% of US Republican voters fear AI could eventually threaten the very existence of the human race - 28 heads of state representing 80% of world population recognized the existential risks of AI via the Bletchley Declaration.
A window is opening. AI capabilities and investments are accelerating at an exponential rate. Public awareness and risks of major AI accidents are rising fast. The US and China, along with a handful of AI labs, are in a declared winner-take-all arms race. Trump needs a big win to raise his approval ratings. Most other countries, AI labs, and firms risk permanent marginalization if they don’t act collectively and quickly.
A real, if narrow, path. The right alignment of political incentives and decisive pressure by a critical mass of influencers could move Trump to champion a U.S.-led, fair global AI treaty. Xi Jinping would likely follow. If a handful of Trump’s AI influencers unite around a vision for an AI treaty, history can be rewritten—not just for America, but for everyone.
What Makes This Different?
Not just another white paper: This is a battle plan for action, not another report to gather dust. It draws lessons from 1946, but updates them for today’s digital reality and the articulate philosophies, psychologies, and interests of key AI decision-makers.
Framed for Trump’s incentives: The deal is cast as “peace through strength”, not as bureaucratic globalism, but as “peace through strength”: securing U.S. advantage and giving Trump an unmatched place in history.
An effective deal and treaty-making method: We propose an ultra-high-bandwidth bilateral treaty negotiation process, closely followed by a veto-free, time-bound, US-China-led and "realist" global federal convention for AI, inspired by history's successes.