"The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis

Dean W. Ball on America's AI Action Plan & 4 Months at the White House

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Aug 13, 2025

Dean W. Ball, former White House AI policy advisor, shares his insights on the Trump administration's AI Action Plan. He highlights the importance of private sector innovation in AI regulation while discussing the gap in understanding between the government and AI labs. Dean also delves into the implications of U.S.-China competition in military AI strategies and the concept of agentic commerce. Personal updates reveal his shift toward focusing on family and continuing his work in AI from an external perspective.

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ANECDOTE

How Dean Landed The White House Role

Dean described how he was recruited after publishing a post and talking with OSTP director Michael Kratsios.
He recounted a rush transition where his last day at Mercatus and first day at the White House happened within the same business day.

ADVICE

Prepare Ideas And Guard Against Bureaucratic Drift

Prepare policy ideas thoroughly before taking a government role because you will have little time to develop them on the job.
Define personal principles and watch for drift inside the bureaucratic bubble to avoid losing connection to ground truth.

INSIGHT

AI Was Useful But Restricted In The White House

White House computers prohibited LLMs due to records-law and pre-decisional document concerns.
Dean still used AI privately as a research assistant and to simulate interagency feedback to speed writing the action plan.

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Today Dean W. Ball, former White House AI policy advisor joins The Cognitive Revolution to discuss his role in crafting the Trump administration's AI Action Plan, his reasons for leaving government, and his perspectives on AI policy, US-China competition, and the future of AI regulation and adoption.

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White House Experience & Government Role: Dean Ball served as senior policy advisor for AI and emerging technology at the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for four months.
AI Regulation & Government Approach: Information asymmetry exists between government and AI labs, "Having worked at the White House, I don't know tremendously more about what goes on inside the Frontier Labs than you do."
Private Sector Innovation: Dean emphasizes the importance of private sector-led initiatives in AI safety and standards.
Future AI Developments: Dean believes agentic commerce is "right around the corner" but sees little discussion about it from regulatory or conceptual perspectives.
AI Action Plan Development: It emphasized concrete actions for AI implementation across government agencies rather than just theoretical frameworks.
Personal Updates: Dean is reviving his weekly Hyperdimensional Substack, joining the Foundation for American Innovation as a senior fellow, and plans to share his long-held insights on recent AI developments.

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