Ethan Klein, President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to serve as associate director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and U.S. Chief Technology Officer, told the Senate Commerce Committee on Sept. 17 that OSTP should prioritize removing barriers to safe testing and commercial adoption of artificial intelligence while coordinating national efforts on infrastructure, workforce and standards.

Klein said OSTP’s mission will include accelerating public‑private partnerships, modernizing government engagement with universities and industry, and focusing federal resources to prevent unnecessary constraints on innovation. “Emerging technology is promised to expand economic opportunity, improve public health, and enhance national security,” Klein said.

Committee members questioned Klein about how to prevent standards‑setting bodies such as the National Institute of Standards and Technology from being used to police speech or other content. Chairman Ted Cruz criticized the Biden administration’s approach to NIST work on AI and disinformation and asked whether the 2020 National Artificial Intelligence Initiative Act’s language allowed such uses; Klein said NIST is an appropriate venue for sector‑specific standards and that OSTP in this administration will seek barriers to adoption that could be addressed by deregulatory actions, waivers, regulatory sandboxes or clearer rules.

Klein said energy and infrastructure are central to the AI competitiveness discussion. He told Senator Dan Sullivan that pillar two of the administration’s America’s AI action plan focuses on infrastructure — including data centers and underlying energy systems — that will enable wide adoption of advanced AI. Klein also raised quantum technology, fusion, and unmanned aircraft systems as areas requiring sustained federal coordination: he said the National Quantum Initiative and potential reauthorization would need legislative and executive cooperation to accelerate commercialization.

On workforce concerns, Klein said OSTP should be data‑driven and center American workers in AI policy, including K‑12 education and reskilling programs. He referenced an executive order signed by the president on K‑12 AI education and an OSTP task force that recently met.

Klein rejected the idea that science is a static set of facts. When asked whether science is “fact,” he said science is “a process of understanding, to the best of our abilities,” and described science as evolving and iterative.

Klein said OSTP under director Michael Kratios had already advanced an American AI action plan and that, if confirmed, he would continue implementation and pursue “new efforts aimed at removing unnecessary barriers to innovation.” The hearing did not produce formal policy actions; senators sought commitments for follow‑up engagement and additional written responses.