Michael Kratsios Trumps go-to tech policy guy reveals how the US needs to step up its innovation plan
In just the last few months, new reports show artificial intelligence can complete high level work —like creating decks at elite consulting firms — and Elon Musk has put the odds of humanity’s annihilation from AI at 20%.Michael Kratsios — who may be the most important man you’ve never heard of — is at the tip of the spear when it comes to making sure America dominates AI and every other facet of tech and science.Kratsios runs the relatively unknown White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), which means he serves as Trump’s top technology advisor and is responsible for tech and science policy across federal agencies.He is also tasked with ensuring the U.S.
leads in science and tech and that it actually benefits the American worker.We spoke with him in an exclusive interview about what keeps him up at night; what his AI action plan, set to be unveiled in July, may look like; and how he believes the average American will benefit from this new technology.In some ways, he thinks one of the biggest changes Trump has made is bringing a new mindset to government.“The Biden administration led by spirit of fear rather than promise — analyzing and trying to anticipate harm that technology can bring to the country,” he told me.
“We can harness [AI] for the benefit of the American people… to improve the American way of life, to increase our national security, to increase economic growth, to empower American workers.”While the U.S.is poised to be the AI powerhouse, it is in no way guaranteed.“The US has shown we can continue to outpace the world in leading edge technology … but the real question is if no one is using it, if the government is not adopting it, if we’re not putting it into practice at the Department of Defense, in our intelligence community, if our greatest American companies … that worries me,” he told me.Kratsios took the helm earlier this year after serving as America’s CTO in Donald Trump’s first admin...