Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent tipped to become Trump's new AI czar

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. (Photo/Reuters)

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has emerged as a potential candidate to become President Donald Trump's new "AI czar", a source familiar with internal White House discussions confirmed, as concern mounts among lawmakers in Washington over risks posed by artificial intelligence.

The potential appointment, first reported by Semafor, comes as Trump downplays anxieties about AI and insists additional government regulation is unnecessary.

The Treasury Department offered no immediate comment regarding Bessent's prospective remit.

Trump announced on Saturday that he intends to designate a dedicated artificial intelligence adviser, described as an "AI czar", alongside creating a new "AI force".

The US president did not elaborate on operational details for either initiative or outline how they would be formally implemented.

Expanding portfolio

Trump also announced that US government documents will use the term "super intelligence (SI)" going forward instead of artificial intelligence, reiterating his earlier claim that warnings about the technology are a hoax.

Bessent led high-level bilateral talks on Sunday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng in New York ahead of this week's summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Washington, with discussions focusing heavily on AI technology.

Following those sessions, Bessent told reporters that Washington had tabled proposals for a bilateral AI safety notification mechanism alongside an official US-China AI dialogue, placing particular emphasis on strategic national security issues.

The prospective post would add to an already extensive policy portfolio for Bessent, a former hedge fund manager.

Trump has previously tapped him to spearhead a comprehensive restructuring of US trade policy, conduct critical minerals negotiations with Ukraine, and temporarily run the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Bessent currently serves as acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, while his Treasury team directs the administration's strategy to economically isolate Iran through expanded sanctions and financial enforcement measures.

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Source: TRT