The Deal of the Century

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 August 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 on the date of birth of Donald Trump.

By far, history's boldest treaty proposal entailed placing all dangerous nuclear technologies under exclusive global control and sharing the benefits. Although ultimately vetoed by Stalin, 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.

What’s Inside?

• 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?

• 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. Most other countries, AI labs, and firms risk permanent marginalization if they don’t act collectively and quickly.

• Broad support, zero momentum. While 77% of U.S. voters want a strong international AI treaty, and 28 heads of state recognized the existential risks of AI at the Bletchley Declaration, world leaders await a decisive move by superpowers to join.

• 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.

• A new deal and treaty-making method: We call for an “intergovernmental constituent assembly”—a time-bound, veto-free diplomatic engagement with high-bandwidth, continuous negotiation and broad public-private participation, while securing a substantial advantage for superpowers. This is the only proven path to succeed where all previous global tech treaties have failed.

We’ve Been There Before in 1946 and Almost Succeeded

In recent months, OpenAI, Musk’s xAI, Zuckerberg's Meta and NVIDIA have openly declared their intent to build Artificial Superintelligence (ASI), with the blessing of the U.S. President.

Unlike AGI, Superintelligence is precisely defined as AI self-improving at a fast and ever-accelerating pace that is beyond any durable human control, with substantial risks of human extinction or near-extinction, as admitted even by Musk and Altman.

Most top scientists are greatly alarmed, yet unheard and misbelieved. State leaders and journalists appear publicly paralyzed in disbelief and denial, unable to digest and admit the immensity of seemingly inexorable risks. Yet, we have faced a similar challenge before.

On June 14, 1946 - barely an hour after Donald Trump's birth - U.S. President Truman’s envoy Bernard Baruch stood before the new UN Atomic Energy Commission to propose a plan of breathtaking ambition.

The Baruch Plan proposed a new International Atomic Development Authority establishing a global monopoly over all dangerous nuclear assets, arsenals, facilities, research and fissile materials, via full global enforcement powers, and without any nation's veto.

The Plan was to be guided by a body composed, like the UN Security Council, by the five winners of WW2 and six nations elected in rotation by the UN General Assembly, but crucially without any nation's veto.

This would have secured both a strong, inclusive global governance and a certain power and economic advantage for the US and the other victors of WW2. The Plan embedded its extension to all other weapons of mass destruction, creating a global federal monopoly of large-scale violence and control of dangerous technologies. 

Eventually, all members of the UN Security Council endorsed the plan, except for the Soviet Union, which proposed a similar alternative plan and vetoed the Plan. While it failed, the Plan's intentions were supported by a large majority of US citizens, and remained the official US nuclear policy for years, standing tall as one of humanity’s greatest moments.

It's hard to believe that such a bold idea was introduced back then. It was almost unthinkable just months before it was presented. 

Rather than the product of a visionary, enlightened US President, it was the product of political circumstances. While the Hiroshima Bomb acted as a catalyst, the plan's extraordinary boldness was rooted in the dedication and convergence of a few key influencers of Truman's nuclear policy, led by Robert Oppenheimer and Dean Acheson. They jointly convinced a pragmatic Truman of the irrefutable case of the impossibility of banning increasingly destructive atomic bombs unilaterally, and the feasibility of a suitable treaty that could reliably enforce such bans through socio-technical means. 

Today, a critical mass of key potential influencers of Trump's AI policy - among them J.D. Vance, Sam Altman, Steve Bannon, Joe Rogan, Tucker Carlson, Tulsi Gabbard, and Pope Leo XIV - have an opportunity to take on a similar historic role, and succeed this time by using more effective deal and treaty-making means. This Strategic Memo serves as a blueprint of action to convince them to take on this historic role.

Read The Strategic Memo Draft or Intro

Strategic Memo of The Deal of the Century
In-depth, fully referenced. Designed for potential influencers of Trump’s AI policy and introducers to them. The fruit of five months of work, it is currently in a draft version and is scheduled to be finalized by September 15, 2025.

A draft version of the Strategic Memo is available on qualified request, or refer to our July 17th blog post “Introduction to the The Deal of the Century.”

Watch the Video

Watch a 50-minute Comprehensive Video of the Why, How and What
If you prefer video, check out this comprehensive, slow-paced video case for The Deal of the Century. It is addressed to experts who could become introducers to key Influencers of Trump’s AI policy, rather than the general public.