Appoint Musk as special adviser on AI for White House: Artificial Intelligence advocacy group urges Trump

An artificial intelligence (AI) advocacy group is urging US President-elect Donald Trump to appoint billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk as a special adviser on AI for the White House.

The petition, launched by Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) on Monday, called Musk uniquely qualified to help the US lead in the responsible development of the technology.

“As artificial intelligence races ahead, the US should lead the world in advancing AI safely and securely,” ARI stated in its petition.

“No one is better equipped to help the Trump Administration make America lead on AI than Elon Musk," the petition added.

The petition further stressed on Musk’s dual role as both an entrepreneur and thought leader in AI, citing his efforts to balance technological advancement with safety.

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“Musk has made major contributions to the field of AI both as an entrepreneur and as a thought leader. While advancing AI, he has also advocated for AI safety and the need to mitigate existential and catastrophic risks,” the group added.

As per Fox Business, Musk, who has been at the forefront of AI innovation through his work with Tesla and his AI startup xAI, is known for promoting responsible development of the technology.

Musk has also been vocal about the need for regulation, recently calling for increased transparency from Big Tech companies working on AI. The petition mentions Musk’s stance on AI regulation, noting that “there should be ‘proper mechanisms in place to handle conflicts of interest,’ but Musk would be an invaluable asset for helping the Trump administration navigate the development of this transformational technology.”

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In addition to his work with Tesla and xAI, Musk has been involved in legal action against OpenAI, alleging the company violated its original mission by transitioning to a for-profit model. Musk has also supported legislative efforts aimed at ensuring AI developers implement safety measures.

He even endorsed a California bill requiring AI developers who invest more than $100 million in building AI models to conduct safety testing and safeguard against cyberattacks. Although the bill passed the state legislature, it was vetoed by Governor Gavin Newsom, who expressed concerns over its potential to disproportionately target larger AI firms while ignoring the risks posed by smaller developers.

Musk has also been vocal about government efficiency, advocating for the creation of a new Department of Government Efficiency aimed at eliminating wasteful federal spending. He offered to take a leadership role in advancing this initiative and has touted the idea since he first announced his support for Trump’s campaign. Before the election, Trump mentioned that, should he win, he would ask Musk to head the proposed government efficiency commission.

However, contrary to Musk’s involvement in so many of such initiatives, his involvement with Tesla, Space X and other businesses has led to scrutiny from investors. Many argue that Musk is too distracted to fully pay heed to any additional advisory roles.

With inputs from agencies.