President Trump’s next AI czar will be walking into a technological revolution moving at breakneck speed — and a Washington power struggle over the government’s role.
asserted
czar → walk → role
The president announced Sept. 19 that he would appoint a new AI adviser and create an “AI Force,” and the “high IQ” tech wizard will inherit an AI landscape that has changed dramatically since venture capitalist David Sacks became Trump’s first AI and crypto czar in late 2024.
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Sacks → announce → 2024
He stepped down in March after reaching the 130-day service limit as a special government employee.
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He → step → employee
Filling the post comes as AI giants OpenAI and Anthropic call for greater government intervention and while lawmakers push for new rules governing the nation’s frontier AI labs.
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lawmakers → fill → labs
The senior White House policy advisor on AI was named one of “The Architects of AI” in TIME Magazine’s 2025 Persons of the Year.
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advisor → name → Year
He is a native of Chennai, India, and a venture capitalist who previously held senior roles at Microsoft, Meta, and XAI.
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who → hold → Microsoft
Krishnan was the architect of the administration’s AI Action Plan, which provided a blueprint to roll back regulation of the market and to promote growth with building data centers.
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which → provide → centers
Trump has previously praised Krishnan, saying at a White House holiday party: “[W]ithout him things, certainly on AI, would not function well,” The Washington Post reported in June.
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Post → praise → June
Krishnan took on a more formal role at the National Economic Council when Sacks vacated the czarship until his own departure in June, according to Axios.
uncertain
Sacks → take → Axios
Scott Bessent
The US Treasury Secretary has been widely reported as the frontrunner and has repeatedly stated that AI companies should bear responsibility for what their models do.
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models → report → what
He has become increasingly involved in AI policy, including discussions with Chinese officials this week over a potential US-China mechanism for communicating about AI incidents that threaten national security.
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that → become → security
“The best way to guarantee safety is that the creators are liable for what they build and generate,” Bessent said in testimony before the House Financial Services Committee.
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Bessent → guarantee → Committee
Bessent told Fox News that Reuters’ report claiming he was already asked by Trump to serve in the role was “fake news.”
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he → tell → role
He was appointed by Trump as the CEO of the US foreign aid organization Millennium Challenge Corp. from 2019 to 2021 and was elected chief operating officer of the Republican National Committee in 2016.
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He → appoint → 2016
Cairncross has clashed with Bessent, believing that the Treasury Department has become too involved with AI matters, according to a June 6 report from Axios.
uncertain
Department → clash → Axios
Administration insiders expressed doubt that former Republican party operative was up to the task of regulating frontier AI labs — with one anonymous official previously telling Politico that Cairncross was “in over his head.”
Michael Kratsios
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Cairncross → express → head
The director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy has been one of Trump’s leading technology advisers and has argued against slowing the development of frontier AI.
“The frontier of intelligence is advancing rapidly.
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frontier → lead → intelligence
That is not a reason to pause its further development or to constrain it with new global governance structures,” Kratsios said in an address at the United Nations on Wednesday.
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Kratsios → pause → Wednesday
“Only through an open, cooperative ecosystem built on sovereign infrastructure and domestic capacity can the world realize this technology’s potential.
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world → build → potential
US international efforts seek to build that capacity by sharing our technology and providing the tools for adoption.”
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efforts → seek → adoption
He added: “You cannot govern a technology you do not understand.
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you → add → technology
This body and others like it should focus on sharing best practices to build domestic capacity, not establishing a global regulatory regime.”
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body → focus → regime
Whoever gets the job will face pressure from both the AI industry and lawmakers as Washington struggles to determine how to regulate technology that is advancing faster than the government can write rules for it.
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government → get → it
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law, is a vocal proponent of strict AI regulation and is pushing, along with Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), for the “Artificial Intelligence Risk Evaluation Act.”
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Hawley → push → Act
The Show Me State senator said he wants any new AI czar to put American citizens first.
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czar → show → citizens
“Somebody who’s got everyday citizens’ best interests at heart,” Hawley told The Post.
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Hawley → get → Post
“But Congress should do something too.
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Congress → do → something
We should pass a bill limiting data centers.
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We → pass → centers
We ought to pass legislation that would stop AI chatbots from pushing sexual material to kids.
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that → pass → kids
We ought to pass legislation that would give everyday people the right to get into court against these companies.
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that → pass → companies
We should not just sit back and spectate.”
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We → sit → ?
The Aporia
