What happened
President Donald Trump officially stated on September 25, 2026, that Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will not be appointed to the role of 'Super Intelligence (SI) Czar.' This announcement follows recent media reports from outlets including Semafor and Reuters that had suggested Bessent was being considered for the position.
In a post on Truth Social, President Trump addressed speculation regarding the potential appointment of Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to a new AI-focused leadership role. Trump stated, 'Scott Bessent will not be going to be Super Intelligence (SI) Czar.'
The President provided two primary reasons for this decision: that Bessent does not wish to take the role, and that he is currently performing effectively as Treasury Secretary. Trump emphasized his desire to keep Bessent in his current cabinet position, asking, 'Why would I ever make such a change?'
This statement serves as a direct rebuttal to reports from earlier in the week that had identified Bessent as a leading candidate for the position.
Why it matters
The clarification is significant as it addresses the administration's internal structure regarding the oversight of artificial intelligence. By explicitly ruling out the Treasury Secretary for the role, the President has signaled that the 'Super Intelligence (SI) Czar' position—a title that reflects the administration's specific branding of AI policy—will be filled by another candidate. This decision maintains the current leadership stability within the Treasury Department, which the President highlighted as a priority, while narrowing the field of potential candidates for the administration's AI-focused regulatory or advisory framework.
The designation of a 'Super Intelligence (SI) Czar' is a central component of the administration's broader strategy to rebrand and manage AI policy. By confirming that the Treasury Secretary is not the intended appointee, the administration clarifies its organizational hierarchy for this emerging policy area.
The decision underscores the administration's current focus on maintaining continuity in economic leadership while simultaneously developing its specific approach to AI, which has been characterized by a rejection of traditional regulatory frameworks in favor of new, administration-led initiatives.
Interactive Mechanism: How It Actually Works
Explore the underlying technology behind this development interactively.
What did neural scaling law research (e.g. Kaplan et al., 2020) observe?
What to watch next
Observers should monitor for the eventual announcement of who will be appointed to the 'Super Intelligence (SI) Czar' role. Given the administration's stated intent to move away from traditional AI regulation in favor of its own 'AI Force' and branding initiatives, the selection of this individual will likely define the practical implementation of the administration's AI policy and its approach to industry oversight.
The primary unknown remains the identity of the person who will eventually be named the 'Super Intelligence (SI) Czar.'
Future developments will likely reveal how this individual will interact with existing government agencies and whether the 'AI Force' concept, previously proposed by the administration, will be integrated into the czar's mandate.