yahoo news | Elizabeth Warren Slams Big Tech–Heavy AI Council As Lisa Su, Michael Dell, Other...

President Donald Trump’s latest round of appointments to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) has drawn enthusiastic praise from a slew of high‑profile tech leaders. Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su said she was “honored to be nominated” and looked forward to advancing U.S. technology leadership, while Dell Technologies founder Michael Dell called it a “privilege” to help ensure America leads in the “Golden Age of Innovation.” The council, co‑chaired by venture capitalist David Sacks and former White House technology adviser Michael Kratsios, also includes Nvidia’s Jensen Huang, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle’s Larry Ellison and Alphabet co‑founder Sergey Brin, among others.

The new wave of members reflects a distinctly corporate‑centric composition, with several CEOs posting gratitude on X (formerly Twitter) alongside promises to drive AI and emerging‑technology policy. Sacks highlighted his appointment as a chance to shape science policy, and Kratos emphasized PCAST’s historic role—originating under FDR—to bring America’s brightest minds to the President. The roster further features venture capitalist Marc Andreessen and other executives, underscoring the administration’s focus on industry expertise in steering the nation’s AI strategy.

Not everyone welcomed the shift. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D‑MA) criticized the council as a departure from tradition, arguing that “only money gets a seat at the table.” She pointed out that advisory bodies have historically drawn from leading scientists and academics rather than corporate executives, noting that several of the appointees’ companies have contributed heavily to Trump’s inauguration fund and political action committees. Warren’s remarks highlighted concerns that the influence of big‑tech money could outweigh scientific independence in shaping national policy.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/elizabeth-warren-slams-big-tech-003111684.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall

#elizabethwarren #bigtech #pcast #advancedmicrodevices #delltechnologies

"Trump remembers to appoint science panel, fills it mostly with tech bros."
https://www.theregister.com/2026/03/25/trump_science_tech_panel/

Among the new members of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (#PCAST) are #MarcAndreessen, #SergeyBrin, #MichaelDell, #LarryEllison, and #MarkZuckerberg.

If you're curious, Wikipedia lists the PCAST members under Biden and Obama.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President%27s_Council_of_Advisors_on_Science_and_Technology

#DefendResearch #Trump #TrumpVResearch #USPol #USPolitics

#Trump staffs #science & #technology panel with non-scientists

The list of appointees was finally released…There are still 9 unfilled vacancies on the council, so it's possible more scientists will be named later. But 4 now, #PCAST is heavily tilted toward extremely wealthy tech figures.

These include investor #MarcAndreessen , Google's #SergeyBrin , #MichaelDell of Dell, #LarryEllison of #Oracle, #JensenHuang of #NVIDIA , #LisaSu of AMD, & Mark #Zuckerberg of #Meta.

https://arstechnica.com/science/2026/03/trump-staffs-science-and-technology-panel-with-non-scientists/

https://winbuzzer.com/2026/03/25/trump-appoints-zuckerberg-huang-brin-pcast-panel-xcxwbn/

Trump Names Zuckerberg, Huang, Brin to PCAST Technology Advisory Council

#AI #DonaldTrump #USGovernment #BigTech #Google #NVIDIA #Meta #MarkZuckerberg #JensenHuang #SergeyBrin #AMD #LisaSu #Dell #Oracle #AIRegulation #Cryptocurrency #WhiteHouse #PCAST

I am under no illusions about the likelihood that any of the recommendations below would be implemented by the current administration, but I still think it is worth reiterating the conclusions of the #PCAST 2023 working group report https://bidenwhitehouse.archives.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/PCAST_Extreme-Weather-Report_April2023.pdf on Extreme Weather, which I was proud to be a member of. An abridged version of the main recommendations is listed below.

1.1. U.S. climate-modeling centers (supported by NOAA, NSF, DOE, and NASA) should enhance their high-resolution modeling capabilities and state-of-the-art statistical methods to quantify annual extreme weather risks.

1.2. The White House should designate a lead agency to maintain an extreme weather data portal where observations and modeling products are regularly updated and widely accessible.

2.1. Designate an interagency group to inventory and release federal data that are useful to develop and test weather-hazard models and hazard-loss models.

2.2 NOAA, FEMA, and other agencies as the President deems necessary, should develop guidelines for measuring the accuracy of weather-hazard and hazard-loss models and promote the use of skill-scoring hazards.

2.3 Fund research on risk-assessment modeling systems that use extreme weather probabilities, weather-hazard models, and hazard-loss models to quantify the likelihood and economic costs of extreme weather events.

3.1 The White House should develop and publish a National Adaptation Plan to prepare for and mitigate increased risks from extreme weather.

3.2 Fund research on the adaptation of households, real-estate and insurance
markets, and local governments to changing climate and extreme weather risk.

In 2002, then-president George W. Bush tasked his Presidential Council of Advisors on #Science and #Technology (#PCAST) with assessing the impact of the US research and development investment. The RAND corporation conducted the review and PCAST summarized the report for the President. It later shaped his call on Congress to push legislation to support #BasicResearch even has his administration worked to cut specific ideologically unpalatable research.

1/3

#PCAST has released its last two products of its term. Firstly, we have completed a report on the social and behavioral sciences, and how it can create systematic, data-driven policy creation, implementation, and evaluation that measurably improves the outcomes of such policies: https://www.whitehouse.gov/pcast/briefing-room/2025/01/15/pcast-releases-report-on-the-value-of-social-sciences-in-improving-american-lives/

Secondly, we wrote a final letter to the President outlining what we see as the key scientific opportunities and challenges in the near-to-medium term, which include (but is not limited to) advances in the scientific understanding (across many disciplines) of aging, the reinvention of the energy grid, the deployment of AI to accelerate scientific discovery, and ensuring a nutritious and environmentally sustainable food supply. https://www.whitehouse.gov/pcast/briefing-room/2025/01/15/pcast-releases-letter-on-future-opportunities-for-u-s-science-and-technology/

[Note: these links will be archived at a new location in a few weeks. Readers intersted in PCAST reports may wish to download them ahead of the transition.]

It has personally been a great honor to have been a member of this advisory council, and to see what high quality scientifically informed policy discussion could be. It seems unilkely that many of our recommendations will be directly implemented by the next administration, but PCAST reports have often influenced other agencies and institutions in less obvious ways, especially over time. (Several recommendations from President Obama's PCAST, for instance, were only implemented in the current administration.)