U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emerged as a leading candidate to become President Donald Trump’s next artificial intelligence czar as the administration prepares to establish a new “AI Force.”
Summary
- Scott Bessent is reportedly among the leading candidates for Trump’s next AI czar role, though the White House has not confirmed an appointment.
- Trump announced plans for a new AI Force on Sept. 19 but has yet to disclose its structure, authority or membership.
- Michael Kratsios, Scott Kupor and Sean Cairncross are among the other officials reportedly being considered for the position.
- Bessent has taken a growing role in AI policy discussions, including talks with China over possible communication channels for AI related security incidents.
Semafor reported on Sept. 22 that Bessent is among the officials being considered for the position, citing three people familiar with the matter. White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross are among the other names under consideration.
No appointment has been finalized. White House spokesperson Kush Desai pushed back against reports about the personnel deliberations, telling Semafor that “any reporting about personnel decisions that have not been officially announced by the administration should be regarded as baseless speculation.”
Trump announced on Sept. 19 that he planned to appoint a new AI czar and create an “AI Force,” but provided few details about its structure, authority or membership. Reuters reported that the announcement came as Washington faced renewed debate over AI safety and the pace of development, while Trump continued to favor using existing legal frameworks to address misuse instead of imposing new restrictions on the industry.
Bessent has taken a bigger AI policy role
Bessent has become more involved in the administration’s AI discussions this year, extending his work beyond Treasury’s traditional financial and economic policy responsibilities.
During meetings held around the United Nations General Assembly this week, Bessent spoke with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng about establishing a formal U.S. China dialogue on artificial intelligence. Their discussions included a possible notification system that could allow the two governments to communicate when AI incidents pose national security risks.
Bessent said in a CNBC interview earlier this week that appointing an AI czar could help put “context, shape and contours” around questions raised by artificial intelligence. He maintained that humans ultimately remain responsible for decisions involving AI systems.
His involvement grew after financial institutions raised concerns that advanced AI systems could expose weaknesses in their operations, according to Semafor. Bessent subsequently became a more active participant in discussions surrounding AI policy inside the administration.
The Treasury secretary already holds a prominent position in Trump’s technology and digital asset agenda. Bessent has repeatedly represented the administration on cryptocurrency regulation, including its push for congressional market structure legislation and its policy toward the U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
In May, Bessent urged lawmakers to advance the CLARITY Act while reaffirming that the Trump administration opposed the creation of a U.S. central bank digital currency. He argued that clearer rules were needed to bring more digital asset activity into the United States.
A few days later, crypto.news previously reported that Bessent backed expanding the reserve while appearing before the Senate Finance Committee. He told lawmakers that the administration remained committed to developing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and wanted durable rules governing the initiative.
Trump is replacing the role once held by Sacks
Trump previously assigned AI and cryptocurrency policy to venture capitalist David Sacks, who became the White House AI and crypto czar after Trump announced his appointment in December 2024.
Sacks ended his czar term in March after reaching the 130 day service limit applying to his position as a special government employee. He continued working with the administration through the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, where he serves as a co chair.
Trump’s Sept. 19 announcement therefore sets up the first formal replacement for the AI czar position since Sacks left the government role. Reuters reported that Sacks continues advising Trump despite no longer serving as a special government employee.
Sacks has remained a prominent voice in the administration’s AI debate, particularly around regulation and competition with China. In July, he warned about Chinese AI after Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 reached first place on the Frontend Code Arena. Sacks argued that restrictive U.S. rules could weaken American developers as Chinese models improved across several benchmarks.
Trump has used a similar competition argument when discussing both cryptocurrency and artificial intelligence. During his July push for the CLARITY Act, he framed the legislation around competition with China and presented technological leadership in crypto and AI as part of the same U.S. policy challenge.
White House has resisted strict AI rules
Any new AI czar would enter the role while the administration continues to favor a relatively light federal regulatory approach toward artificial intelligence.
The White House’s National AI Policy Framework released earlier this year favored voluntary agreements with technology companies over prescriptive federal requirements and called for Congress to preempt state AI laws considered excessively burdensome to innovation. The administration’s AI framework placed technology development and U.S. competitiveness among its main priorities.
Trump has continued resisting calls to slow AI development even as executives and researchers raise concerns over increasingly capable models. His Sept. 19 announcement did not explain whether the planned AI Force would have regulatory authority or how it would interact with existing federal agencies.
At the same time, Washington and Beijing have started discussing possible cooperation on some AI risks. Semafor reported that Bessent and He explored a notification mechanism for incidents with national security implications as part of discussions about establishing a formal bilateral AI channel.
OpenAI head of national security policy Sasha Baker said at a Sept. 22 Semafor event that an AI crisis communication line between the United States and China could provide a “starting place” for cooperation. Baker said both countries host leading AI laboratories, while other countries have an interest in decisions surrounding advanced AI systems.
Several officials remain in consideration
Bessent is not the only administration official being discussed for the czar position, and Trump has not publicly identified a preferred candidate.
Kratsios already oversees technology policy as director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Kupor entered government after previously serving as a managing partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, while Cairncross serves as National Cyber Director.
Semafor reported that Bessent and Cairncross previously disagreed over Anthropic’s Mythos model in May, pointing to differences within the administration over how officials should approach individual AI systems and companies.
Holding the Treasury post would not necessarily prevent Bessent from taking the additional assignment. Semafor noted that Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has retained his Cabinet position while simultaneously serving in an administration coordinating role on energy policy.
Trump’s decision remains pending, and the White House has not confirmed Bessent, Kratsios, Kupor, Cairncross or any other official as the next AI czar.
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