Donald Trump is expected to appoint the first-ever AI czar in the White House with speculations of Elon Musk playing a key role in selecting the candidate.
During his election campaign and after his election victory, Donald Trump has demonstrated his interest in the development and implementation of emerging technologies in the United States. Last week, it was revealed that Trump is considering crypto companies’ executives for a role as the first-ever crypto czar in the White House. Now, according to some sources, the President-elect is likely to appoint an AI czar. This person will be responsible for coordinating the governmental use of artificial intelligence and the related federal policies.
Considering the closeness between business tycoon Elon Musk and Donald Trump recently, there has been speculation whether Musk could lead this role. However, the Axios report suggests that the probability of the same is very slim.
Sources stated that Elon Musk, the CEO of xAI, will play an influential role in shaping AI policies and its use cases. This could be under his leadership with Vivek Ramaswamy, for the newly formed advisory group – the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Just like the crypto czar, the creation of the AI czar position is still in the planning stages. Musk, along with entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, who co-leads DOGE, will have a say in who fills the position, reported Axios.
Some tech rivals have shared concerns over Musk’s involvement adding that he could leverage his relationship with Donald Trump to benefit his companies. Thus, he might get an edge over his rivals such as OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Google’s Sundar Pichai.
Importance of AI Czar for Donald Trump Administration
The AI czar would be responsible for coordinating public and private resources to maintain the US leadership in AI technology. This individual would also work closely with DOGE to use AI to identify and combat waste, fraud, and abuse, including in entitlement programs. Additionally, the czar would oversee efforts to boost private investment in energy infrastructure, a critical component for maintaining US leadership in technology.
The Trump team has been mulling the idea of having an AI czar over the past few months. It comes as part of the broader discussions in reorganizing the White House staff and prioritizing key areas such as emerging technologies.
An AI czar would not require Senate confirmation. This will allow for a faster appointment and quicker implementation of the administration’s technology goals. The Donald Trump team is acting in contrast to the Biden administration, which faced difficulties in filling the US Chief Technology Officer role, a position created under President Obama but left vacant due to confirmation challenges.
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