According to three sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Semafor, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emerged as a frontrunner to fill President Donald Trump’s planned “AI czar” role.
Bessent has played a central role in the administration’s AI policy for some time. This week he held a consequential early discussion with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, ahead of President Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
During their talks, Bessent and He Lifeng discussed the possibility of a US–China “notification mechanism” to enable communication about AI incidents that could pose national security threats. Bessent described these exchanges as part of broader discussions about establishing a formal US–China dialogue on artificial intelligence.
The president has not made a final decision on who will serve as his AI point person, and he is known to consider unexpected candidates. If Bessent were appointed, his current Cabinet role would not necessarily be an obstacle: for example, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has simultaneously been referred to as an “energy czar.”
White House spokesman Kush Desai cautioned that “any reporting about personnel decisions that have not been officially announced by the administration should be regarded as baseless speculation.” The Treasury Department did not respond to a request for comment.
Increased role after industry concerns
Earlier this year, Bessent became more actively involved in AI policymaking after financial institutions warned him that advanced AI systems could introduce vulnerabilities into their systems. Speaking to CNBC earlier this week, Bessent said that appointing an AI czar could help provide context, shape and contours around these important questions, and he emphasized that humans are ultimately responsible for what AI does.
Other names under consideration and past disputes
Other officials reportedly being considered for the AI czar position include Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and a longtime Trump ally on technology issues, and Scott Kupor, Director of the Office of Personnel Management and a former a16z executive.
Separately, Bessent and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross — another person mentioned as a possible AI czar — clashed in May over Anthropic’s Mythos model, according to reporting by Politico.
