The Transfer of Power: From Czar to Council
After 130 days at the helm of US technology policy, David Sacks has stepped down from his role as AI and Crypto Czar to become co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST). This change is not simply a transfer of positions; it indicates a strategic reconfiguration of AI governance. No longer the allocation of resources in a competitive context, but the definition of shared protocols in a multilateral system.
This news is more than just a factual report. The transition occurs at a crucial moment: major global players are exploring alternative models to the race for technological power. The US-China axis, which for years has viewed AI as a tool for supremacy, is now facing the reality of infrastructural interdependencies.
The Physical Node of AI Safety
The safety of synthetic systems no longer depends solely on training speed or the number of parameters. It depends on a coherent set of operational standards, measured in FLOPs per unit of energy consumed and average latency during critical decisions. This system is anchored to physical flows: interconnected data centers, backbones with guaranteed minimum capacity, and formal verification mechanisms.
The Amazon case is emblematic: the $5 billion investment in the Lean Focused Research Organization (FRO) does not aim to produce a faster model, but to make mathematical proof of correctness accessible in real-world contexts. The goal is to transform the uncertainty of output into a quantifiable measure: if the system can be proven impossible to err, then constant human oversight is no longer necessary.
Voices from the Field
The transition of Sacks resonates with positions expressed by technology leaders. While Sam Altman states that «this is the moment» for singularity, Geoffrey Hinton warns of a 10-20% risk of human extinction if AI becomes conscious. The tension between optimistic and alarmist visions is no longer just philosophical: it is technological.
“I think the US should at least consider pivoting and trying to work with China towards AI for global good,” says David Sacks in his latest statement before the transition, highlighting that cooperation is not a moral option but a condition of technological survival.
Market expectations — such as the upcoming IPO of Anthropic or the euphoria surrounding Claude Opus 5 on AWS — are compatible with this vision only if the risk is managed collectively. Otherwise, every competitive advantage turns into an exposure to bottleneck.
The Limits of Control
The euphoria assumed that technological leadership was a prize for those who built first. The data shows that true power lies in defining the rules. The transition from czar to council is not a renunciation: it is the acquisition of a new tool for logistical control.
When the ability to generate reliable output depends on formal verifiability, whoever holds the protocol becomes the central point of the chain. The operating margin is no longer in computing time, but in the certainty that the action will inevitably be correct.
Implications for Decision-Makers
If you are evaluating national technology strategy, the key data point to monitor is the adoption rate of standardized protocols in a multilateral context. A delay of more than 6 months in engaging with international forums carries an increasing operational risk: your infrastructure becomes isolated and therefore vulnerable.
Photo by Rishi on Unsplash
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