Latest news with #USSenateCommerceCommittee
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Trump Just Kicked Elon Musk's Hand-Picked NASA Head to the Curb
NASA's top candidate for its still-open administrator position — a space tourist who was handpicked to run the agency by SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — has been thrown under the bus by the Trump administration. As scooped by Semafor, the White House has pulled its nomination for billionaire fighter jet pilot-turned-SpaceX astronaut Jared Isaacman. While the exact reasoning behind the eyebrow-raising move remains unclear at best — a White House spokesperson said Isaacman wasn't in "full alignment with" the Trump agenda — the timing of the announcement comes as Musk's relationship with the Trump administration is visibly fraying. The mercurial CEO arrived at his own White House goodbye party last week with a black eye, which he blamed on his five-year-old son, bookending chaotic and destructive months in Washington, DC. Given recent reports, a major rift appears to have opened up between Musk and Trumpworld. In other words, it's easy to imagine that the Trump administration pulled Isaacman from consideration out of retribution, given the latter's extremely cozy relationship with Musk. During his confirmation hearing, the former NASA administrator hopeful had to repeatedly assure lawmakers he wasn't in the pocket of the richest man in the world, going as far as to diverge from Musk's plans to make sending humans to Mars a top priority. But it was hard to see much daylight between the two. The SpaceX CEO played a key role in Isaacman's nomination, catapulting him to the front of the line. As such, the pulling of his nomination could represent a major blow to SpaceX, which has relied heavily on NASA contracts to sustain itself since its early years. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has indicated that it's planning to catastrophically slash the space agency's science budget, an existential risk for major interplanetary missions, including NASA's next major space telescope and Mars Sample Return mission. Isaacman said he planned to lead missions to both the Moon and Mars simultaneously, despite extremely slimmed-down budgets, potentially handing SpaceX major contracts for trips to the Red Planet on board its still-under-development Starship rocket. But now that he's been kicked to the curb by the Trump administration, lawmakers are bound to ask some tough questions. The US Senate Commerce Committee approved his nomination in late April, voting 19 to nine, including unanimous support from Republicans, as Ars Technica reports. In spite of his close ties to Musk, Isaacman remains a popular figure in the space community, likely making his abrupt departure a tough pill to swallow for many influential figures. "NASA is f*cked," a current NASA leader to Ars. "NASA's budget request is just a going-out-of-business mode without Jared there to innovate," a separate NASA leader added. Chances are that Isaacman could make his return to his civilian space exploration program, Polaris Dawn, which was put "on hold" following his nomination. In September, he became the first private astronaut to go on a spacewalk outside of a SpaceX spacecraft. Now that he's become the victim of the murky machinations of an administration that has long been known to throw anybody who fails Trump's loyalty test to the wolves, chances are he may soon be headed off-planet once again to leave all of that drama behind. More on Isaacman: Incoming NASA Administrator Throws Elon Musk's Mars Plans Under the Bus
India Today
09-05-2025
- Business
- India Today
Sam Altman says ChatGPT is ahead of China on AI but not by much
At a recent US Senate Commerce Committee hearing focused on the global AI race, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman joined other major tech leaders to discuss America's position in the artificial intelligence industry. Alongside Altman, Lisa Su of AMD, Michael Intrator of CoreWeave, and Brad Smith from Microsoft, addressed how the US can maintain its edge over countries like China in this high-stakes sector. In the meeting, Altman stressed that while America has the lead for now, it is not insurmountable. advertisementThis hearing revealed a shift in tone from some of the tech world's most influential figures—notably Sam Altman. Just two years ago, Altman was one of the loudest voices calling for government oversight of artificial intelligence. But at this latest session, his stance appeared more cautious when it came to regulation, especially under the new political climate shaped by President Donald Trump's return to the White change of tone could be due to Trump's decision to focus on removing what he sees as unnecessary obstacles to AI progress. This includes rolling back parts of President Biden's earlier AI executive order, which aimed to tighten rules around how AI is developed and used. The current administration's view is that too much regulation could stifle US is ahead of China in the AI race: Altmanadvertisement When asked by Senator Ted Cruz whether the United States is ahead of China in the AI race, Altman confidently responded that US-based models—like those developed by OpenAI and Google—remain the most advanced globally. 'It's very hard to say how far ahead we are, but I would say, not a huge amount of time,' he noted. Altman reasoned that the ongoing investment and smart policymaking are keeping the momentum going. 'The need to win in infrastructure, sensible regulation that does not slow us down, the sort of spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship that I think is a uniquely American thing in the world,' he said, outlining what's needed to stay ahead. He also emphasised that keeping this lead is achievable, saying it's not 'rocket science,' and that American innovators just need to avoid 'a silly mistake' and continue doing what they've long done Su, whose company AMD, a key player in the semiconductor space, supported Altman's view, pointing out that the US currently produces the best AI chips in the world. 'Best AI accelerators in the world,' she said, referring to the kind of hardware essential to running advanced AI systems. But she also warned against resting on current successes. While China might face restrictions, she explained, there are 'multiple ways to do things,' meaning innovation could still come from unexpected also took a personal moment during his remarks, moving away from his prepared script to share a story about growing up in St. Louis, where his fascination with computers and the early internet shaped his future. 'I can draw a straight line from that experience to founding OpenAI and getting to work on companies like Helion,' he said, reflecting on how America's culture of tech freedom and risk-taking enabled breakthroughs like AI.'I am a child of the internet revolution. I have the great honour to be one of the many parents of the AI revolution. And I think it is no accident that that's happening in America again and again,' Altman said. He captured the importance of continuing to support innovation through openness and leaders focus on more investment in AI infrastructureAltman and his fellow tech leaders used the hearing to push a different agenda: more investment in AI infrastructure and workforce training, rather than new restrictions. While acknowledging that some guidance might be useful, Altman pushed back against specific proposals that could slow things instance, when asked about a plan to make AI companies test and approve their models before releasing them, Altman didn't mince words. 'Disastrous,' he said, warning that such rules could hamper the fast-moving industry. On the idea of having the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) set formal AI standards, Altman replied, 'I don't think we need it. It can be helpful.'Instead, he made the case for a more balanced approach, one that avoids heavy-handed rules while still encouraging responsibility. 'Sensible regulation that does not slow us down,' Altman said, repeating a phrase that summed up much of the day's discussion.
