Senate nominees debate AI strategy, standards and industrial policy as OSTP nominee Ethan Klein outlines priorities
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Summary
Ethan Klein, nominated to be associate director of OSTP and U.S. chief technology officer, told senators he supports OSTP’s AI action plan, emphasized industry adoption and standards work at NIST, and flagged energy and supply‑chain issues; senators pressed him on NIST’s role, quantum research and commercialization, and government access to AI.
Ethan Klein, President 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 he would continue implementing the administration’s AI action plan and focus OSTP on reducing barriers to industry adoption, coordinating federal R&D, and advancing public‑private partnerships.
Klein described OSTP’s charge as securing U.S. leadership in critical technologies and said OSTP should modernize models of collaboration between government, academia and industry. He said that NIST is an appropriate place to develop sector‑specific standards that “can help enable industry adoption and enable public trust,” and that OSTP would explore deregulatory measures, regulatory sandboxes, exemptions and clearer rules where appropriate.
Chairman Ted Cruz and other senators criticized how prior administrations used standards‑setting institutions. Cruz alleged the Biden administration had diverted NIST toward content moderation efforts; Klein said his work at OSTP in the first Trump administration focused on reducing barriers to testing and deployment and reiterated support for NIST’s standards role.
Senators from manufacturing and energy states pressed Klein on the infrastructure needed to support AI — data centers, electric power and nuclear energy — and on the workforce implications. Klein said technology firms frequently raise energy availability as a constraint and said pillar two of the administration’s AI action plan is focused on infrastructure, including energy and data‑center needs. He said OSTP should center the American worker in policy and support reskilling and early education on AI.
Klein also expressed support for continued federal action on quantum technologies and welcomed congressional collaboration on reauthorizing the National Quantum Initiative to accelerate commercialization and workforce development. On drones and unmanned aircraft systems, he recommended federal procurement preferences for U.S.‑made systems, standards and supply‑chain measures and regulatory pilots such as beyond‑visual‑line‑of‑sight rules and sandbox programs to encourage safe deployment.
When asked whether science produces immutable facts, Klein said science is an evolving process of learning rather than a set of final, unquestionable truths. The committee set deadlines for written questions; Klein pledged to respond if confirmed.