Donald Trump's AI Advisor Suddenly Resigns: What is Happening?
Sriram Krishnan, one of the artificial intelligence (AI) policy advisors to US President Donald Trump, has announced his resignation at the end of June. Krishnan holds the position of Senior Policy Advisor at the White House.
Krishnan announced his decision via the social media platform X, describing his tenure at the White House as “the honour of a lifetime,” according to The Economic Times. While he did not provide detailed reasons for his resignation, Krishnan stated that he wishes to remain involved in efforts to address the significant challenges facing the United as a nation in the field of AI.
Krishnan is recognised as one of the most influential figures in drafting the Trump administration’s AI strategy. His departure occurs amidst President Trump’s discussions regarding the possibility of the US government taking equity stakes in AI companies. “There is something very interesting about that, where ultimately AI could become a partner to the American people,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday. He added that he plans to meet with AI company executives as early as next week.
Trump’s support for AI has occasionally been marked by concerns regarding the security of the technology within his own administration. These concerns, regarding the unknown impacts of AI on national security, contributed to a months-long deadlock between the Trump administration and the AI company Anthropic. The US Department of Defense (Pentagon) blacklisted Anthropic earlier this year after the technology firm refused to allow the US military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems.
However, following a meeting at the White House with the CEO of Anthropic, which is currently preparing for an initial public offering (IPO), relations between the two parties appear to be thawing. Through an executive order issued on Tuesday, the White House instructed federal agencies to request that leading AI developers voluntarily submit their most advanced AI models for government cybersecurity testing before they are released to the public.
Some populist factions within Trump’s inner circle have also warned that AI could pose a political risk. Plans to construct data centres to support AI operations have triggered strong opposition in several regions. In his State of the Union address last February, Trump stated that he had requested major technology companies to build their own power plants to meet increasing energy demands. Consequently, technology CEOs have agreed to measures to increase new power generation capacity while improving energy efficiency.