Donald Trump will not create a formal licensing regime for artificial intelligence, according to his outgoing tech adviser Sriram Krishnan. Krishnan stated that the former president opposes "burdensome, bureaucratic red tape" and is not in the business of "picking winners and losers.” He argued that a centralized agency requiring extensive legal review would impede AI innovation.

This stance contrasts with recent White House actions, including forcing Anthropic to withdraw its advanced AI model, Mythos. Krishnan, a former venture capitalist, advocated for a light-touch regulatory approach, aiming to foster American entrepreneurship and prevent rivals like China from gaining an advantage. He attributed public backlash against AI to the industry's own "doomer" messaging.

Krishnan suggested that future oversight of cutting-edge AI should be industry-led, perhaps through a voluntary body. He supported Trump’s proposal for companies to grant equity stakes to the American public, aiming to make AI's benefits more broadly shared. This approach seeks to empower citizens rather than concentrate power in a few tech giants.

The former adviser warned that excessive government delays in releasing AI tools would harm American innovation. He believes the industry needs to better communicate AI's advantages, such as in medical diagnostics, to assuage public concerns about job displacement and existential risks.