The Pentagon’s chief technology officer (CTO) has said that he does not want the Trump administration to acquire equity or seek partial state ownership in artificial intelligence (AI) companies, even as the government has already bought into firms like Intel and Nippon Steel-owned US Steel. His response was blunt: “I hope not.” Speaking to CNBC, Emil Michael was asked whether Washington might eventually take partial ownership stakes in AI companies — a possibility that has gained traction as worries mount over how quickly the technology is advancing.
That doesn’t really go well in terms of nationalisation,” he said, noting that the US AI leaders are among the “biggest companies in the history of the world. The current administration has already built up a portfolio of stakes in private firms, and the list includes a 10% holding in Intel and a “golden share” arrangement in US Steel, which now operates under Nippon Steel. “We don’t want [the] government to get in the middle.
Michael’s Regulatory Stance on AI Amid Recent Security Concerns
Michael has expressed opposition to imposing stricter regulations on AI companies, contrasting with industry figures like Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei, who advocates for a slower rollout of advanced AI models to mitigate risks.
Despite his regulatory stance, Michael acknowledged the seriousness of the recent security breach involving the AI platform Hugging Face. However, he was uncertain about what specific regulations could have averted such an incident.