President-elect Donald Trump (pictured) reportedly wants to name an AI czar to coordinate government usage and federal policy, as part of an effort to keep the US at the forefront of how the technology is developed.

Citing members of Trump’s transition team ahead of him taking office on 20 January, Axios reported X owner Elon Musk isn’t expected to be named AI czar, but could be involved in discussions over AI policies and use cases.

The AI czar role is likely but not certain, according to Axios.

Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy reportedly have significant input on filling the AI role. The pair are tasked with leading the Department of Government Efficiency programme, which is looking to slash federal spending by eliminating various agencies.

Musk owns AI start-up xAI, which was founded in 2023. It has made strides in generative AI launching the Grok chatbot as a direct competitor to OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

As one of the co-founders of OpenAI, Musk has a history of AI development, but he stepped down from the board in 2018 after alleged clashes with management on its approach to safety.

Bloomberg previously reported the Trump transition team has vetted cryptocurrency executives for a potential role as the first crypto czar. Axios noted both the AI and cryptocurrency roles could be combined under an overall tech czar position.

In October, the administration of President Joe Biden issued a national security memorandum (NSM) on AI as part of a plan to put more guardrails in place for its development and ethical uses.