Trump rules out Bessent as AI czar

President Trump said Friday he is ruling out Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to serve as his artificial intelligence czar amid speculation the Cabinet member was under consideration.

Trump, in a Truth Social post , said Bessent will not be the “Super Intelligence (SI) Czar,” referring to his proposed rebranding of AI , because he “doesn’t want to.”

“Number Two, he’s doing such a great job at Treasury, and that’s where I want to keep him!” the president continued. “Why would I ever make such a change? Just more Fake News!”

Multiple media reports this week suggested Bessent’s name was being floated for the role, which Trump said he was creating last week to oversee the technology’s development.

The role, which Trump called “AI czar” until saying the government should refer to the technology as “ super intelligence ,” or “SI,” earlier this week, is likely to help lead a new “AI Force.” The president compared the proposed body to the Space Force, which he established during his first term, but did not disclose how the agency would work.

Bessent became one of the Trump administration’s loudest voices on AI this year, threading the needle for support of U.S. competitiveness in the space and the need for guardrails amid emerging cybersecurity risks .

In the wake of Anthropic’s Mythos model release last spring, Bessent argued the administration’s pro-industry approach is not mutually exclusive with safety. The openness to safety protocols differs slightly from the commander in chief, who has largely dismissed concerns around AI and the need for regulations.

The Treasury chief has also had a role in navigating the U.S.’s talks with China over AI.

Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting with Trump this week, he spoke publicly on the U.S.’s proposal for a notification system between Washington and Beijing as concerns mount over the technology’s risks to humanity.

Bessent took an aggressive stance against China in July after the U.S. found Chinese AI companies could be stealing proprietary information from U.S. private models and threatened sanctions over the allegations.

Venture capitalist David Sacks previously held the role of Trump’s AI and crypto czar, but he departed the White House earlier this year after his special government employee term expired. Sacks is still a prominent voice in Trump’s ear and co-chairs the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which advises the president on policy.

It is not clear who Trump is seriously considering for the role at this time.

Announcing the role last week, the president said, “Only High I.Q. individuals need to apply!” and did not detail how this could differ from Sacks’s position.