Great Scott(s)!

Years ago, as we were ramping up efforts on a startup and technology agenda in Congress, one of our earliest connections was a General Partner at venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz named Scott Kupor. At the time, Silicon Valley wasn’t very interested in what Washington was up to. And other than a tool to connect with potential voters, Washington didn’t fully appreciate how technology would serve as a new class of economic growth. But Scott, through his roles at the firm and the National Venture Capital Association, was the unofficial ambassador of the Valley to Washington—maintaining a regular presence in the Capitol and dedicated to the policies that would strengthen the connective tissue between these two worlds that are now so obviously intertwined.

So, as a platform where “tech meets policy”, Kupor’s leadership of the Office of Personnel Management is an exciting development for us.

Here’s a big reason why: despite the near consistent talk track of AI disruption in the workforce, there is a real concern of lagging AI adoption. Or at the very least, AI skepticism driven by the concern of a what it means for one’s job status.

But as we have said in the past, whether it is weather forecasting or new defense systems, AI has the potential to save lives. And our government should not hesitate to use it as a tool. That appears to be a top priority for Kupor.

In a letter to OPM employees he published last week, he stated: “We will be a leader in the adoption of AI in our everyday work and, most importantly, we will help ensure that the federal government is prepared for the skills and job implications of a post-AI world.”

You’d be hard pressed to find a voter who doesn’t support more effective and efficient government services. But for the uninitiated, it is really hard to implement systems and processes that are foundational for delivering better results for the American people.

In his letter, Kupor outlines OPM’s mission to change that, committing that the agency will “create and support a world-class, high performance people culture that enables government employees to deliver the most efficient and highest quality set of services on behalf of the American people.”

Three cheers to Scott and the OPM team on this hugely important mission.

Live With Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent joins Breitbart News, ALFA, and CGCN tomorrow morning for a one-of-a-kind event. Secretary Bessent is wrapping up the latest trade talks with China and will have lots to say on the strengthening U.S. economy and the economic conditions most vital for building our future.

This marks the fourth cabinet official to participate in our event series, and if you are not able to join us in person, Breitbart.com will be streaming this exclusive conversation.

🇨🇳 China Lays Out Its AI Vision … and the Media Takes the Bait

China is currently holding its “World Artificial Intelligence Conference” in Shanghai where Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s speech is reported to have said: “We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible”.

Following the remarks, the headlines were quick to juxtapose this (supposed) position of “cooperation” with the far more isolated approach (their interpretation) of President Trump’s America First AI plan.

They seem to have forgotten the fact that the President and his team favor—and have taken action—to support more American technology exports. But they are right, it’s not for the sake of global cooperation but because “American AI technology continues to be the gold standard worldwide” as Vice President Vance told an audience in Paris earlier this year. And an AI built on the values of free expression and free markets are far superior to those perpetrated by the Chinese Communist Party.

🍣 Sushi Grade Manufacturing

Semafor has a great story out on a California company, Shinkei Systems, that has built a robot to kill fish using a Japanese method that produces higher-quality protein.

Part we love: “‘We’ve been fishing for 40,000 years and the tools haven’t really changed,’ co-founder Reed Ginsberg, a former SpaceX engineer, told Semafor. ‘We’re still using hooks and lines and nets,’ he said, adding that fishers could use advanced tools that also improve quality.”

🤝DOE >< AI Infrastructure

From the federal wires: The Department of Energy has “announced the next steps in the Trump administration’s plan to accelerate the development of AI infrastructure through siting on DOE lands.  DOE has selected four sites—Idaho National Laboratory, Oak Ridge Reservation, Paducah Gaseous Diffusion Plant and Savannah River Site—to move forward with plans to invite private sector partners to develop cutting edge AI data center and energy generation projects.” 

Energy Secretary Chris Wright noted: “These sites are uniquely positioned to host data centers as well as power generation to bolster grid reliability, strengthen our national security, and reduce energy costs.”

Just as we wrote last week, our capacity concerns do not rest on technology but rather the infrastructure needed to power it. Yes, we need congressional permitting and litigation reform. But in the meantime, these incremental steps from the Administration send the right signals.

As always, if you are a technology company or policy advisor working on something that pulls society forward, drop us a line at [email protected] or subscribe here.

Thanks For Reading and Have a Great Day

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