President-elect Donald Trump has selected venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks to chair the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) and to serve in a new advisory role focused on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency policy.
Sacks’s appointment to lead PCAST marks a departure from Trump’s first term, when the council remained inactive for nearly three years. While Trump’s pick for PCAST was swift, he has yet to announce his nominee to lead the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). This role usually serves as the chair or co-chair of PCAST. Sources indicate that former OSTP official Michael Kratsios has been interviewed for the position.
Sacks’s role is an advisory position and does not require Senate confirmation. During his first term, Trump issued two executive orders related to AI, focusing on American leadership in the field and promoting trustworthy AI in government applications. The Republican National Committee has also adopted Trump’s platform for this year which included a plan to rescind President Joe Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI development, stating that it “hinders innovation and imposes Radical Leftwing Ideas on the development of this technology.” The Republican platform instead supports the “AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.”
