Exclusive / Bessent eyed for Trump’s ‘AI czar’ - Semafor

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is emerging as a frontrunner for President Donald Trump’s new “AI czar” position, three sources familiar with the matter told Semafor.

Bessent has long played a central role in the Trump administration’s AI policy, and this week he’s already held a critical early dialogue with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, ahead of Trump’s meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

Bessent and He discussed a potential US-China “notification mechanism” to facilitate communication about AI incidents that pose threats to national security, as part of what Bessent said were talks about a formal US-China dialogue on AI.

Importantly, Trump’s decision on his AI point person is not final, and he is known to ultimately favor dark-horse candidates. But if Bessent were to ultimately get tapped, his Cabinet job wouldn’t be a barrier — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has simultaneously held the “energy czar” moniker.

“Any reporting about personnel decisions that have not been officially announced by the administration should be regarded as baseless speculation,” White House spokesman Kush Desai said.

The Treasury Department did not return a request for comment.

The Treasury chief became an even more active participant in AI policymaking earlier this year after financial institutions told him advanced AI systems could make their systems vulnerable, as Semafor has reported.

“When President Trump talked about appointing an AI czar, I think it is to put context, shape and contours around these questions, and they’re very important,” Bessent told CNBC earlier this week, adding that he thought humans are ultimately responsible for what AI does.

Other names in the mix for the czar position include White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, a longtime Trump ally on tech, and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor, who left a16z to join the government.