PCAST to Make Actionable Recommendations to Advance Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Manufacturing

The President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) was reestablished under the Trump administration in November after much urging from the science community. Now, PCAST is working to formulate actionable recommendations in the areas of advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and quantum computing.

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) director Kelvin Droegemeier shared that under the Trump administration, PCAST would not be issuing detailed reports with recommendations as done by previous PCASTs, but instead release recommendations with concrete steps that can be implemented quickly to advance these globally competitive industries here in the United States.

PCAST held their first meeting under the Trump administration on November 18 where they set “work streams and priorities,” choosing to focus on advancing “industries of the future” and on building the U.S. STEM workforce. Part of the meeting was dedicated to discussing Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science priorities and the DOE National Laboratories. PCAST hopes to more fully utilize the National Laboratory system in the U.S. to promote innovation in the key technology areas selected.

White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination Chris Liddell encouraged the group to develop an actionable plan to accelerate existing administration priorities. DOE Office of Science Director Chris Fall said that to truly make progress on the goals set by the administration in these advanced technology areas that there would need to be greater commitment to research and development (R&D) from the federal government.

ASME will continue to monitor PCAST’s progress on delivering actionable recommendations in the areas of advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence.