The push for Elon Musk to lead American AI policy is already starting

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Efforts to influence President-elect Donald Trump’s policies via Elon Musk are already beginning. On Friday, nonprofit AI advocacy group Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) launched a public petition asking Trump to make Musk his special adviser on AI, saying he is well-positioned to protect the US lead on the technology while ensuring it’s rolled out safely.

“No one is better equipped to help the Trump Administration make America lead on AI than Elon Musk,” reads the petition circulated by ARI, which is led by former Democratic congressman Brad Carson and says it doesn’t take corporate funding.

Musk has been a leading critic of OpenAI, a company he co-founded but more recently has distanced himself from and made into an opponent....

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