President Donald Trump has appointed former Attorney General Pam Bondi to a White House science and technology advisory panel just weeks after she departed the Department of Justice.
Bondi will join the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, commonly known as PCAST, where she will work alongside some of the nation’s most influential business and technology leaders.
The appointment comes as Bondi continues recovering after receiving treatment for thyroid cancer, according to reports.
Vice President J.D. Vance praised the move, saying Bondi will continue playing an important role inside the Trump administration.
“Pam has been an enormously valuable asset to the president’s team, and I’m thrilled for her and for all of us that she’s going to remain involved in confronting some of the most important issues the administration faces,” Vance said.
The council is designed to provide the president with outside advice on major issues involving science, technology, innovation and emerging industries.
David Sacks, who co-chairs PCAST, said Bondi’s legal background will be valuable as the administration navigates complicated regulatory questions surrounding new technology.
“No one is better positioned to support PCAST and to advise the president on legal and regulatory matters,” Sacks wrote on X.
“President Trump understands that unnecessary regulation is the biggest threat to innovation in America,” he added.
“Winning the AI race means not only beating China but also clearing bureaucratic hurdles thrown up by state legislatures and woke politicians in DC.”
Sacks leads the panel alongside Michael Kratsios.
Other members include several major technology figures, including Jensen Huang, Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Ellison and Marc Andreessen.
Bondi’s appointment comes during a critical moment for the administration’s artificial intelligence strategy as the White House debates how aggressively the federal government should regulate the rapidly growing industry.
Trump recently delayed a planned executive order involving artificial intelligence testing after expressing concerns about parts of the proposal.
The draft order reportedly would have created a process allowing AI companies to voluntarily submit their systems for government testing for up to 90 days before releasing them publicly, per The Hill.
However, Trump told reporters he “didn’t like certain aspects” of the order, raising concerns that additional rules could slow American companies as they compete against China.
The debate reflects a broader divide over how the U.S. should handle artificial intelligence development.
Some officials have pushed for stronger safeguards due to cybersecurity risks and concerns over increasingly advanced AI models.
Others inside Trump’s circle have argued that excessive regulation could weaken American innovation and allow foreign competitors to gain ground.
Sacks has been among the strongest supporters of a lighter regulatory approach focused on accelerating U.S. technological dominance.
Bondi’s new role places her directly inside those discussions as the administration prepares future policies involving artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and emerging technologies.
