US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has become the leading candidate for a new “AI czar” role in the Donald Trump administration. Semafor reports that if appointed, Bessent would oversee neural‑network governance in addition to his main duties, following the model used for Homeland Security chief Doug Burgum, who is already moonlighting in the White House as an “energy czar.”
De facto, Bessent is already directing Washington’s technology diplomacy. It was he who, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, discussed with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng the launch of a joint system for warning of global cyber threats. The minister’s sudden focus on technology is pragmatic. Major banks had previously warned the Treasury that advanced algorithms are creating critical vulnerabilities in the financial system.
Bessent himself says it is time to impose strict limits on artificial intelligence and that living humans should be held solely accountable for algorithmic failures. Though President Trump is known for impulsive personnel moves, so far Bessent’s only real competitors for the role are White House science director Michael Kratsos and former venture investor Scott Kupor.