Trump Reportedly Weighs Concept of White House AI Czar
President-elect Donald Trump could reportedly add an artificial intelligence czar to his new administration.
The person would help oversee federal policy and government use of AI, Axios reported Tuesday (Nov. 26), citing unnamed sources on the Trump transition team.
The role, which is likely but not definite, per the report, will not go to Elon Musk, although the billionaire and Trump supporter is expected to play a role in White House AI policy.
Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, who are heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is Trump’s new outside-government group, will have input into who gets the job, the report said.
Rivals are concerned that Musk will use his ties to the White House to favor his companies, which include the AI firm xAI, according to the report. Musk has been involved in public feuds with competing AI CEOs, such as Sam Altman of OpenAI and Google CEO Sundar Pichai.
Trump is also considering adding a cryptocurrency czar to his administration, and it’s possible the role could be combined with the AI job, creating an emerging tech czar, the report said.
Trump has said he would overturn President Joe Biden’s comprehensive AI executive order, signed in October 2023, claiming the rule hinders innovation.
Trump’s first term as president saw limited focus on AI, although he issued the first executive order dealing with the technology in 2019, requiring federal agencies to prioritize AI research and development.
Among the AI-related issues a new administration might need to address is the need for infrastructure to support the technology.
“While foreign markets move quickly to build power systems for next-generation computing facilities, American utilities’ lengthy deployment timelines for new electrical capacity could redirect billions in tech investment abroad and reshape the global AI landscape,” PYMNTS wrote earlier this month.
Relying on traditional approaches to expanding its power infrastructure will only cause the U.S. to fall behind, Allan Schurr, chief commercial officer at energy transition company Enchanted Rock, told PYMNTS.
“Delays in adding new transmission and generation capacity, which can range from three to 10-plus years, will force companies to seek out alternative locations to support AI infrastructure,” he said.
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