Bessent named frontrunner for Trump's planned AI czar role, Semafor reports
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent leads the list for a still-undefined post, with Trump's decision not yet final, Semafor reports.
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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is emerging as the frontrunner for President Donald Trump's planned "AI czar" position, Semafor reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter. Trump said over the weekend that he intends to name someone to the role, but Semafor reports his decision is not final and that he is known to ultimately favor dark-horse candidates.
Other names in the mix include White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, according to Semafor. Cairncross and Bessent clashed in May over Anthropic's Mythos model, Politico reported.
Bessent told CNBC that when Trump spoke of appointing an AI czar, the idea was to "put context, shape and contours around these questions." Bessent has played a central role in the administration's AI policy for months, Semafor notes, engaging earlier this year after financial institutions warned that advanced models could leave infrastructure such as Federal Reserve payment rails vulnerable. This week he held an early dialogue with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on AI ahead of Trump's planned meeting with Xi Jinping. Holding the AI role alongside his Cabinet post would not be unprecedented: Interior Secretary Doug Burgum already holds the separate title of "energy czar" while serving in the Cabinet. David Sacks previously held the AI czar title and still chairs a White House council on science and technology, despite no longer being a government employee, Semafor reports.
Bessent's rise as a candidate fits Trump's stated preference for largely unfettered AI development, though the role itself remains undefined and secondary to the trade and geopolitical talks currently dominating the administration's attention, including the run-up to Trump's meeting with Xi. For now, the personnel speculation clarifies who might steer AI policy without signaling any change to the administration's existing growth-first approach to the technology.