Dean W. Ball on America's AI Action Plan & 4 Months at the White House

"The Cognitive Revolution" | AI Builders, Researchers, and Live Player Analysis

Today Dean W. Ball, former White House AI policy advisor joins The Cognitive Revolution to discuss his role in crafting the Trump administration's AI Action Plan, his reasons for leaving government, and his perspectives on AI policy, US-China competition, and the future of AI regulation and adoption.

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• White House Experience & Government Role: Dean Ball served as senior policy advisor for AI and emerging technology at the White House Office for Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) for four months.

• AI Regulation & Government Approach: Information asymmetry exists between government and AI labs, "Having worked at the White House, I don't know tremendously more about what goes on inside the Frontier Labs than you do."

• Private Sector Innovation: Dean emphasizes the importance of private sector-led initiatives in AI safety and standards.

• Future AI Developments: Dean believes agentic commerce is "right around the corner" but sees little discussion about it from regulatory or conceptual perspectives.

• AI Action Plan Development: It emphasized concrete actions for AI implementation across government agencies rather than just theoretical frameworks.

• Personal Updates: Dean is reviving his weekly Hyperdimensional Substack, joining the Foundation for American Innovation as a senior fellow, and plans to share his long-held insights on recent AI developments.

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