US Treasury Chief Scott Bessent Tipped for New White House AI Lead Role

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is under consideration to serve as President Donald Trump's new artificial intelligence advisor, often called the AI czar. A source with knowledge of the talks shared this development on Tuesday amid rising anxiety among Washington lawmakers regarding the dangers of AI technology. President Trump announced on Saturday that he plans to name an AI advisor and form an AI force, though he did not share specifics on how these plans will work. The Treasury Department declined to give an immediate comment on the possible new post for Bessent, which Semafor was first to report. A second source told Reuters that a final choice has not been made yet. Bessent recently led discussions on Sunday in New York with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng ahead of this week's summit in Washington between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. Artificial intelligence was a major focus of those talks. Bessent shared with reporters afterward that Washington put forward an AI safety notification system and a US-China AI dialogue, keeping a strong focus on national security. Before this potential assignment, Trump selected Bessent, who previously worked as a hedge fund manager, to direct a major overhaul of US trade policy, talk with Ukraine about key minerals, and briefly lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. He also works as the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service, and his department is currently pushing efforts to isolate Iran economically through sanctions and other steps.