Donald Trump Considers Appointing an ‘A.I. Czar’: What to Know

Recent discussions indicate that President-elect Donald Trump is considering the establishment of an “A.I. czar” to oversee policies governing the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence. Although the details of this role remain vague, it is anticipated that the czar will have a significant impact on how government entities adopt A.I. technologies and work alongside chief A.I. officers throughout various federal departments, in accordance with President Joe Biden’s A.I. executive order.

The urgency for appointing an A.I. czar is amplified by the intensifying competition with China, which aims to dominate the global A.I. landscape by 2030 and has been making substantial investments in innovation and infrastructure. While the United States currently leads in A.I. research and funding, there are challenges ahead in sustaining this position. Designating a central authority to manage A.I. initiatives could bolster the nation’s standing in this global contest.

There are rumors that Elon Musk, who has been appointed by the President-elect to lead the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), may play a key role in selecting the A.I. czar and outlining the goals for this position. The primary mission of the DOGE is to reduce the national debt by curtailing government spending, and it is expected that the A.I. czar will closely collaborate with this department to advance those objectives.

Some critics are concerned about Musk’s dual role as both an industry leader and a policymaker, arguing that it could lead to a bias that favors his A.I. startup, xAI, over other competitors like OpenAI.

Hamid Ekbia, a professor at Syracuse University who specializes in the political economy of computing and A.I., warns that Musk’s potential bias might allow xAI to overshadow other companies with different missions and philosophies.

Conversely, supporters believe that Musk’s involvement could positively impact the tech sector. The bipartisan nonprofit group, Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI), has initiated a petition encouraging Trump to appoint Musk as a special advisor on A.I., a role established under the Biden administration to tackle the opportunities and challenges that A.I. presents to the nation’s infrastructure.

How will Trump approach A.I. regulation differently from Biden? 

Trump has stated his plan to undo Biden’s A.I. executive order, which was signed in October 2023, claiming it stifles innovation and imposes left-leaning ideologies on technology development. Nonetheless, he aligns with Biden’s vision of ensuring that America leads in the global A.I. arena.

The Trump administration is likely to maintain and possibly tighten restrictions on China’s access to advanced semiconductors, building on Biden’s CHIPS Act introduced in 2022. Additionally, the future of the U.S. AI Safety Institute (AISI), set up under Biden’s A.I. executive order to spearhead government efforts on A.I. safety, is uncertain. With the DOGE aiming to streamline federal programs, AISI could be at risk of dissolution.

Dave Maher, CTO of the data interoperability platform Intertrust and a veteran in secure computing, believes that a less stringent regulatory approach under Trump could ignite innovation but also raise safety issues unless transparency is prioritized to mitigate risks and prevent excessive reactions. According to Maher, the significant challenge will be overcoming the reluctance to transparency from major tech corporations.

Ekbia from Syracuse University foresees that fostering A.I. innovation in today’s monopolistic landscape will be a formidable challenge for the incoming A.I. czar, as large tech companies often suppress competition through mergers and patent hoarding. “The A.I. ecosystem is likely to become more rigid, with the potential emergence of new monopolies. This presents both opportunities and challenges for the future A.I. czar,” he noted.