The Empty Desk at the Center of the AI Future

The Ephemeral Seats of Power

When a senior researcher in Arlington printed the organizational chart for the federal government's newest technology initiative, the ink on the director's name was barely dry before the position became vacant again. It was a quiet, digital erasure. The box representing the head of the Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI) had returned to its default, hollow state—a clean white rectangle waiting for another temporary occupant.

For those watching the intersection of Washington bureaucracy and