Statecraft Podcast – Episode Summary

Podcast: Statecraft
Host: Santi Ruiz
Guest: Dean Ball (Former Senior Policy Advisor for AI & Emerging Tech, White House OSTP)
Episode: How to Write the AI Action Plan
Date: September 10, 2025

Overview

This episode of Statecraft features a candid, in-depth interview with Dean Ball, who, until recently, was the organizing author of the White House’s AI Action Plan—a sweeping new roadmap for federal artificial intelligence (AI) policy. Santi Ruiz and Ball dissect what it takes to write and implement a major strategy document for the federal government, how power and influence really operate inside the White House, what has changed under the Trump 47 administration, the perennial challenge of turning plans into real action, and some of the thorniest policy debates around AI, national security, and bureaucracy in government.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Learning and Effectiveness at OSTP

[02:40–05:24]

• Dean’s Perspective on Effectiveness:
  The OSTP has little formal "hard" power (e.g., budget control), making informal influence critical. Being someone colleagues want in the room for technical input is paramount.

  “It’s like just be the guy that people want to have in the room because they think you’re going to say something that will be helpful to the conversation.” — Dean Ball [04:41]

• Hierarchies in the White House:
  While there are formal ranks (Special Assistant, Deputy, Assistant to the President), real influence flows from being in relevant discussions and having recognized "equities" on issues, especially in rapidly moving issues like AI.

  “Everything in the White House operates on such incredibly short timescales...When those people need information and they need, like, counsel, they need it now.” — Dean Ball [07:55]

2. Internal White House Dynamics and the Role of OSTP

[09:09–13:01]

• Owning the Paper:
  Whoever drafts ("holds the pen" for) interagency documents wields the core policy-making power.

  “The person who adjudicates what happens there is the person who holds the pen.” — Dean Ball [09:48]

• Collaboration vs. Turf Wars:
  Contrary to past eras, Ball asserts there was little infighting with the National Security Council (NSC)—a marked shift aided by recent reorganizations that handed OSTP broad new responsibilities on tech and AI.

• New Balance of Power:
  Reorganization in mid-2025 made OSTP more powerful within the White House, though perhaps with less sway in interagency battles.

3. White House Managerial Philosophy under Trump 47

[14:33–21:24]

• Decentralization and Empowerment:
  Administration relies more on empowered cabinet-level secretaries, with a smaller White House staff compared to Biden, but with clearer lines of accountability.

  “The President manages it like he’s managing a board of directors, almost.” — Dean Ball [18:56]

• Contrast with ‘Czar’ Model:
  Less reliance on White House "czars" and crosscutting advisers; emphasis is on the chain of command from principal to cabinet secretary.

• Workplace Culture:
  According to Ball, the White House worked more as a dynamic startup or music scene — “Like being at CBGB in ‘74…like, man, like, oh, this guy’s doing crazy stuff over here. It was like a scene.” [28:12]
  Far less bureaucracy and infighting than at think tanks or universities.

4. The “New Statecraft” and Lessons from Trump’s Second Term

[21:33–28:10]

• Cybernetic Staffing:
  An emphasis on recruiting people capable of anticipating and advancing the President’s goals, not just policy technicians.

  “Are you good enough of an agent that you can anticipate where the President’s going to come down on an issue?” — Dean Ball [23:37]

• Speed and Learning:
  The Trump 47 team is described as acutely aware of the temporal “shot clock” and focused on transformative change.

  “Just the election alone is not nearly enough...that does not itself get you transformative change.” — Dean Ball [27:22]

• Culture of Urgency:
  Recent Republican administrations, says Ball, feel a unique urgency, partly from feeling like outsiders to the permanent government.

5. Implementation Realities: Bottlenecks, Power, and Pacing

[29:00–33:56]

• Direct Lines Can Create Bottlenecks:
  Ball acknowledges risks of top-level micromanagement, especially when secretaries become choke points — a real failure mode for this management style.

  “It’s not just one bottleneck, it’s actually a series of bottlenecks.” — Dean Ball [33:06]

• Different Secretaries, Different Styles:
  Some cabinet secretaries are hands-on; others delegate. The system is heavily reliant on their management style to avoid paralysis.

Deep Dive: The AI Action Plan

6. The AI Action Plan — Vision and Structure

[34:26–36:42]

• Origins:
  Commissioned by executive order on Trump’s Day One; meant to replace the Biden EO on AI.
• Approach:
  Broader, more actionable than most federal strategies: Each area identifies 2–6 specific, immediately doable policy steps for agencies using current budgets and authority.

  “What’s different about the action plan is...to identify somewhere between usually like 2 and 6 specific policy actions that federal agencies can take now.” — Dean Ball [35:46]

7. How the Action Plan Was Written

[36:42–41:02]

• Parallelized Agency Input:
  Rather than running a classic whole-of-government drafting process, Ball ran multiple micro-interagency clearances. Agencies only reviewed relevant recommendations—limiting endless comment cycles and leaks.

  “The action plan was really more like 20 or 25... maybe 40 interagency processes that were run in parallel.” — Dean Ball [41:02]

• Role of AI in Process:
  Used AI tools to anticipate interagency pushback and simulate review rounds.

8. Implementation Challenges: Beyond the Plan

[42:27–46:02]

• Relational Power:
  Execution relies on prior relationship-building, top-cover from leaders (especially public rollouts with the President and Vice President), and agency prestige.

  “Political cover matters. Having the principal stand up and say something matters, even if it’s not a ‘shall,’ even if it’s a ‘should’.” — Santi Ruiz [45:25]

• Reception Surprised Even Authors:
  Ball expected pushback but found a more positive media and agency reaction, which accelerated buy-in.

9. Implementation in Practice: Capacity and Staff

[48:44–56:54]

• OSTP’s Soft Power:
  The real work became “selling” the plan to agency leadership, building alliances, and relying on alignment from the White House to resolve hard cases.

• Capacity Realism:
  Ball openly admits implementation will require both staffing up and subject-matter experts with deep knowledge of agency processes and relationships.

  “Even OSTP is going to have to staff up. That is undoubtedly true.” — Dean Ball [54:09]

• Turnover and Administrative Maturation:
  Ball reflects on the tradeoff between continuity and fresh talent; different administrations approach this balance in their own way.

10. Deadlines, Forcing Functions, and Events

[56:54–58:49]

• Deadlines and Events:
  The best implementation tool is urgency—deadlines attached to presidential events or public commitments are cited as powerful drivers.

  “Event where the President is speaking is...the—it has to be ready, must be, because the President is going to talk about it.” — Dean Ball [57:22]

Policy Grab Bag

11. The Federal Data Center Dilemma

[59:47–70:45]

• What’s at Stake:
  Security requirements for data centers used by intelligence & DoD; the complexity of updating standards given new threats and technology.

• Federal Lands and Data Centers:
  Ball predicts anti-AI political battles will emerge as local “data center NIMBYism” rather than sweeping regulation.

  “One of my highest conviction beliefs is that [anti-AI sentiment] won’t be new regulation, it will be data center NIMBYism.” — Dean Ball [67:08]

• On Using Federal Land:
  Ball is skeptical of expanding data center buildout onto public land, finding it politically and practically fraught.

12. Export Controls on AI Chips

[70:45–78:26]

• Chip Policy Complexity:
  U.S. must balance enabling sales to China (to maintain leverage) vs. restricting frontier AI hardware. Ball argues for a rational, predictable quota or allocation system, and greater coordination between the intelligence community and Commerce/BIS.

  “Give the American people, give the relevant businesses, give everybody predictability.” — Dean Ball [73:37]

• Enforcement and Global Rules:
  Advocates more robust enforcement, new licensing regimes, and better intelligence-sharing to thwart trans-shipment and gray market reselling.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• White House as Startup Culture:

  “Like being in the Eisenhower building in the spring and early summer of 2025 was like being at, you know, the punk rock club CBGB in lower Manhattan in, like, 1974.” — Dean Ball [28:12]

• On Whose Problem is AI Safety:

  “Republicans...are motivated by big...objectives...That lends itself well to caring about these big picture issues, particularly because...AI safety...ultimately comes down to values and alignment and control...” — Dean Ball [79:04]

• Process Overload:

  “Why can’t the White House use Google Docs?” — Dean Ball [81:45]

• Classification as a Power Move:

  “We classify information to keep people out of the room. It’s about the interagency process because some interagency processes are classified... That’s one example of many of ways in which the classification system is used tactically...” — Dean Ball [83:40]

Timestamps for Important Segments

• (02:40) — Inside OSTP: Learning to be effective
• (09:48) — Power of owning the pen in interagency documents
• (14:33) — Analysis of Trump 47’s management philosophy
• (34:26) — Layman’s summary of the AI Action Plan
• (36:42) — Process for drafting and clearing the Action Plan
• (45:25) — On the vital importance of political cover
• (54:09) — The need to staff up for real implementation
• (57:22) — Forcing functions: deadlines and public events
• (67:08) — Data center NIMBYism as future political battleground
• (73:37) — Predictability and rules for AI chip exports
• (79:04) — Why the GOP is now more open to AI risk debates
• (81:45/83:40) — The political economy of information, docs, and classification

Takeaways for Policymakers and Observers

• Informal Power Is Real: Titles matter less than relationships, credibility, and willingness to show up in person.
• Policy by Pen: Drafting the document is the most direct route to shaping policy.
• Implementation Is the Hard Part: Strategies must be actionable and paired with deadlines, events, and ongoing relationship management.
• Administration Culture Matters: Small, aligned teams can often move faster and more collegially than sprawling bureaucracies.
• Transparency/Classification Can Hinder Good Governance: Rules about information flow deeply shape what government can achieve.
• Future AI Fights: Brace for local data center politics, not just national debates.
• Expect Role Rotation: The best policy folks may not stay forever, but know when their influence is maximized—and when to exit.

For full transcript, interviews, and more episodes, visit: www.statecraft.pub