Treasury Secretary Bessent Emerges as Leading Candidate for Trump's AI Czar Role

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emerged as a leading candidate to become President Donald Trump's "AI czar," according to Semafor, which cited three people familiar with the matter. Trump has not made a final decision, and White House tech policy chief Michael Kratsios and Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor are also under consideration. The appointment would follow Trump's announcement of an "Artificial Intelligence Force," which he likened to the Space Force created during his first term. Trump has not specified the unit's mandate or whether it would sit within the military or civilian government. Bessent's candidacy is bolstered by his AI policy involvement and his role in U.S.-China negotiations. This week he met Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly to prepare for a Trump-Xi meeting, discussing a formal bilateral AI dialogue and a notification mechanism for AI incidents threatening national security. Trump is scheduled to meet Xi on September 24 in Washington, with AI safety and U.S.-China tech competition expected on the agenda.