President Donald Trump issued marching orders this week to newly confirmed White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Director Michael Kratsios, including that the United States prioritize emerging technologies such as AI and quantum.
The Senate confirmed the nomination of Kratsios to the OSTP post on Tuesday in a bipartisan 74-25 vote.
In a March 26 letter to Kratsios, President Trump outlines three main goals for the OSTP chief, who also serves as the assistant to the president for science and technology.
“First: How can the United States secure its position as the unrivaled world leader in critical and emerging technologies – such as artificial intelligence, quantum information science, and nuclear technology – maintaining our advantage over potential adversaries?” the letter says.
President Trump emphasizes the need to accelerate research and development (R&D) and spur robust private sector investment. He notes that the United States “must blaze a bold path to maintain our technological supremacy” over rival nations.
Notably, the U.S. Intelligence Community published its Annual Threat Assessment this week, which highlights China’s recent boom in generative AI.
“China almost certainly has a multifaceted, national-level strategy designed to displace the United States as the world’s most influential AI power by 2030,” the report says.
In his letter, President Trump says that he launched the American Artificial Intelligence Initiative and the National Quantum Initiative during his first term to establish the United States “as the world’s preeminent technological superpower.”
“Now, after 4 long years of weakness and complacency, we must set our sights even higher. I am calling upon you to blaze a trail to the next frontiers of science,” the letter says. “We have the opportunity to cement America’s global technological leadership and usher in the Golden Age of American Innovation. We are not just competing with other nations; we are seeking, striving, fighting to make America greater than ever before.”
The other two goals President Trump outlines for Kratsios are:
- “How can we revitalize America’s science and technology enterprise – pursuing truth, reducing administrative burdens, and empowering researchers to achieve groundbreaking discoveries?”
- “How can we ensure that scientific progress and technological innovation fuel economic growth and better the lives of all Americans?”
Kratsios responded to the letter in a post on X in which he thanked the president “for entrusting me with your science and technology agenda and this great responsibility.”
“By accelerating U.S. tech leadership, restoring our scientific enterprise, and promoting opportunity for all Americans, we will usher in a Golden Age of innovation,” Kratsios said.