Sriram Krishnan Appointed AI Advisor to President Trump

New AI Policy Advisor Appointed

President-elect Donald Trump has affirmed reports concerning the appointment of Sriram Krishnan to the role of senior policy advisor for AI. Krishnan, formerly a general partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), will be based within the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

Role and Responsibilities

According to a statement released by Trump, Krishnan will be instrumental in formulating and coordinating AI policy initiatives throughout the government. He will collaborate directly with the president’s council of advisors on science and technology.

Krishnan himself announced on X that he will be working in close partnership with David Sacks, the recently designated crypto and AI “czar” for the Trump administration.

Krishnan's Background and Experience

“I am deeply honored by the opportunity to contribute to our nation and ensure the United States maintains its leading position in the field of AI,” Krishnan stated. He expressed his gratitude to Donald Trump for this appointment.

Prior to his venture capital work, Krishnan established himself as an entrepreneur and held product leadership positions at several prominent technology companies. These include Microsoft, Twitter, Yahoo!, Facebook, and Snap.

He gained further recognition alongside his wife, Aarthi Ramamurthy, as the co-host of the popular podcast, initially known as “The Good Time Show” and later rebranded as “The Aarthi and Sriram Show,” starting in 2021.

Connection to Elon Musk and a16z

Krishnan maintains a strong professional relationship with Elon Musk, having collaborated with him on the revitalization of Twitter (now X) following Musk’s acquisition in 2022.

Musk currently co-leads the Department of Government Efficiency, a group dedicated to proposing restructuring and reductions in federal spending.

Krishnan joined a16z as a general partner in February 2021 and subsequently was chosen to spearhead the firm’s London office, marking its first international location outside of the U.S. He departed from a16z in late November.

Views on AI and Content Licensing

Krishnan articulated his perspectives on contemporary AI developments in an opinion piece published in The New York Times last year. He advocated for “a fundamentally different mechanism” to facilitate value exchange between websites and AI-powered chatbots like OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

He observed that “Large internet sites are fighting back against AI models with the internet equivalent of raising the castle drawbridge,” referencing user resistance on platforms like Reddit and Stack Exchange, as well as their data licensing programs.

Krishnan expressed hope that solutions would emerge through technological innovation rather than legal disputes, suggesting “creative technology solutions to help keep the internet open.”