The DSR Network Siliconsciousness: Trump AI Policy May Not Mean What You Think It Means
Oct 28, 2025
Alondra Nelson, a scholar and former Acting Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, joins to unpack the complexities of AI policy under the Trump administration. She challenges the notion that the policy is purely deregulatory, suggesting it masks targeted industry influence. Discussing the impact of bias in AI, she highlights how federal cutbacks threaten innovation and long-term leadership. Nelson also explains the evolving relationship between tech firms and government, where state regulations attempt to fill federal gaps.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Deregulation Often Hides Active Intervention
- The Trump administration's deregulatory posture on AI is largely performative and strategic, not purely hands-off.
- The executive branch is actively shaping AI policy through trade, chips, visas, and targeted interventions.
Different Labels, Similar Goals
- The administration's bias-focused executive order mirrors prior calls for algorithmic fairness despite different rhetoric.
- Language shifts (e.g., renaming safety bodies) mask continuity in concern for bias and worker impacts.
Government Is Picking Tech Winners
- Proximity of Silicon Valley figures to the White House concentrates benefits for select companies and investors.
- Policy choices are functioning as explicit winner-picking, favoring acquisitions and market consolidation.