Bessent Leads AI Czar Race
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent Emerges as Leading Candidate for Trump AI Czar Position
Anonymous
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emerged as the leading candidate to become President Trump’s AI czar, a position intended to coordinate artificial intelligence policy across the federal government. Trump has not made a final decision, and administration officials have dismissed reports about unannounced personnel choices while noting the president’s preference for unexpected picks. Bessent has already played a central role in AI policy through Treasury initiatives focused on financial-system risks, and he recently discussed a potential U.S.-China notification mechanism for AI incidents with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng. Other potential candidates reportedly include White House science and technology chief Michael Kratsios and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor. If selected, Bessent could hold the role alongside his Cabinet position, as Interior Secretary Doug Burgum also serves as the administration’s energy policy czar.
Key Points
1
Treasury’s AI Transformation Office and the Financial Stability Oversight Council held four public-private roundtables from March through May examining how advanced AI could affect financial stability.
2
Bessent’s increased involvement in AI policy followed warnings from financial institutions that advanced AI systems could create vulnerabilities in their own infrastructure.
3
Bessent described the proposed U.S.-China incident-notification arrangement as part of efforts to establish a “formal US-China AI dialogue,” rather than a one-off diplomatic exchange.
4
In discussing the prospective czar role, Bessent said it would be intended to “put context and shape and contour” around AI issues and emphasized that humans ultimately remain responsible for what AI does.
5
White House spokesman Kush Desai called reports about unannounced personnel decisions “baseless speculation,” while the Treasury Department declined to comment.
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