This Tuesday, Michael Kratsios, who is President Donald Trump’s nominee for Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), will appear before the Senate Commerce Committee for a hearing. During President Trump’s first term, Kratsios served as the chief technology officer for OSTP, a position he was confirmed to with unanimous Senate support. In his prior stint with the administration, Kratsios heavily focused on artificial intelligence (AI) policy, establishing the American AI Initiative and the National AI Initiative Office. Kratsios also supported the White House push to integrate drones in the National Airspace System, and was key in implementing a presidential memorandum in 2017 establishing the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program. Since leaving office in 2021, Kratsios has been at Scale AI, a data management company.
As AI continues to proliferate, Kratsios, if confirmed, will spearhead what is likely to be a major focus on AI policy and standards development, with a goal of ensuring the United States remains ahead of the curve in developing AI models. Kratsios will additionally serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology.
Kratsios will likely have a team at OSTP with deep AI expertise, including Lynne Parker, who is the former founding director of the National AI Initiative Office. The hearing tomorrow before key Senate Commerce members, many of whom have focused intensively on science-related legislative initiatives in the past, will be an interesting preview of how the White House agenda—including recent activity taken by the Department of Government Efficiency—resonates with Senate priorities.
We will be actively monitoring the hearing and will share any key updates.
