Michael Kratsios on the New Golden Age of American Science | EP #276
August 4, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readWhen the Government Tries to Keep Up With AI
Michael Kratsios, the 13th director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and science advisor to President Trump, has a straightforward diagnosis of the government's relationship with exponential technology: most of the time, the best thing it can do is get out of the way. Sitting in the White House complex, he notes that large language models are still not allowed on government systems because of the Presidential Records Act. "That's an example of the pace at which sometimes government tech operates," he says dryly.
The Two Buckets of Technology
Kratsios divides technologies into two categories that determine how government should respond. "Born free" technologies—like the internet in the 1990s—move so fast that regulation can't keep up, and the government's role is to step back. "Born in captivity" technologies cannot reach the public without government action. Commercial drone operations and AI-powered medical diagnostics fall here: they need affirmative regulatory changes before they can be deployed safely.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **Episode Introduction & The Core Challenge** - Peter Diamandis introduces Michael Kratsios, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, and sets up the central tension: how can government keep pace with exponential technologies like AI.
- 2 (05:05) **The Government's Response: Genesis Mission** - The administration's flagship effort to apply AI to scientific discovery across all agencies.
- 3 (07:50) **The AI PR Problem and the Fear of Job Loss** - A deep dive into why 71% of Americans fear AI and how the administration is trying to change the narrative.
- 4 (13:57) **The Need for a Compelling National Vision** - Moving beyond fear to inspire a future where America leads.
- 5 (17:46) **The Three National Technology Missions** - Kratsios outlines the three core missions driving the administration's science policy.
- 6 (19:59) **The Open Source AI Debate & The American AI Stack** - The strategic importance of open-source models and the U.S. plan to counter China's influence.
- 7 (27:03) **The Robotics Imperative** - Why the U.S. must build a domestic humanoid robot industry to compete with China.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
Peter chats with Michael Kratsios on the White House’s vision for a new golden age of American science, including the Genesis Mission, AI-driven research, and the push to dramatically accelerate scientific productivity.
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Peter H. Diamandis, MD, is the Founder of XPRIZE, Singularity University, ZeroG, and A360
Michael Kratsios is the White House Director of Science and Technology Policy and Assistant to the President for Science and Technology. He previously served as U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Acting Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering, and later as a managing director at Scale AI.
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*Recorded on July 29, 2026
*The views expressed by me and all guests are personal opinions and do not constitute Financial, Medical, or Legal advice.
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