President Donald Trump appointed Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, and Jensen Huang to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) on Wednesday. The White House announced the appointments through an executive order that established the council.
David Sacks, who previously served as White House AI and crypto czar, and Michael Kratsios, former U.S. Chief Technology Officer, will co-chair the council. The announcement marked the first round of appointments to the advisory body.
Council Composition and Scope
The council initially comprised 13 members. In addition to Zuckerberg, Brin, and Huang, the appointees included Marc Andreessen, Safra Catz, Michael Dell, Jacob DeWitte, Fred Ehrsam, Larry Ellison, David Friedberg, John Martinis, Bob Mumgaard, and Lisa Su.
The council may expand to include up to 24 members. The White House stated that additional appointments will occur in the near future along with details about the council’s first meeting.
Policy Focus Areas
Under President Trump, PCAST focused on opportunities and challenges that emerging technologies present to the American workforce. The council also worked to ensure all Americans thrive in what the administration termed the “Golden Age of Innovation.”
The appointment followed a historical precedent established in 1933 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt created his Science Advisory Board. Each president since then established a similar advisory committee of scientists, engineers, and industry leaders.
Industry Representation
The appointments brought together prominent figures from across the technology sector. Zuckerberg led Meta Platforms, Brin co-founded Google, and Huang served as CEO of Nvidia. Other appointees represented companies including Oracle, AMD, Dell Technologies, and Coinbase.
As reported by ALO360, the council formation came one week after the White House released a national policy framework for AI. That framework outlined recommendations to Congress regarding national standards for AI that existing federal agencies could regulate.
Council Mandate
PCAST advised the President on matters involving science, technology, education, and innovation policy. The council also provided scientific and technical information needed to inform public policy relating to the American economy, the American worker, national and homeland security, and other topics.
The council operated under the executive order that created it. The order specified that PCAST would disband two years from its establishment unless extended by the President.
