Trump restarts White House science and tech council led by Kratsios and Sacks

In short: President Donald Trump has reestablished the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, with Michael Kratsios and David Sacks as co-chairs.

What happened

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 to reestablish the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, often called PCAST. It is a group that advises the President on science, technology, and innovation. The order revokes the version set up under President Joe Biden.

The new council is meant to focus on fast-moving areas like AI (computer systems that can write, summarize, or make predictions), quantum computing, and biotechnology. The White House says the council can have up to 24 members, drawn from academia, industry, and other experts outside the federal government.

The executive order names two co-chairs. They are Michael Kratsios, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, and David Sacks, Trump’s Special Advisor for AI and Crypto.

Separate reporting, including The Verge citing the Wall Street Journal, says Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Google cofounder Sergey Brin will be the first four members. However, as of early 2025 and through March 2026, the publicly available documents and widely cited government references mainly confirm the council’s structure and co-chairs, not a full list of additional members.

Why it matters

PCAST can shape what the federal government prioritizes and funds, such as computing research and other long-term projects. Think of it like a coach’s advisory team that helps set the playbook. If the council leans heavily toward industry voices, that could influence how the US writes rules for AI and decides where public money goes.

Source: The Verge AI