What impacts on science and tech will a second Trump term bring?

[weatheriscool]

What impacts on science and tech will a second Trump term bring?
-He will cut investment in weather forecasting and probably gut the noaa. This will severely harm warnings for hurricanes and tornado's. More deaths. Less weather data, less investment into satellites, recon and weather stations. Less investment into computer models. Pretty much our meteorological infrastructure will go to shit!
-Cut government research into science and tech. Clear energy will take a huge hit. China will be happy!
-Probably no more money for wind or solar energy. I think solar can now stand on its own but governmental approval will slow it down in some places.
-Fusion research will be fucked in the ass.
-Nasa will be cut. Probably kills off any mission to the moon or mars. Pretty much putting any hope in the hands of Elon musk. You can forget about anymore big ticket missions under him for at least the next 5 years.
-Restrict driverless cars as they're evil and witch craft!
-Less money for cancer research
-A complete ban on transgender research and you can forget male womb transfers for a few years!
-Kill off anything considered immoral. This shit will become central once again in any research funding.
-Probably a big ass fucking cut in college research grants from the federal government.
-Less money for education in general and a dumber population that falls behind even more.

All together a pretty shitty time I'd say. Will help China overcome any lead that we have and become the undisputed super power of science.

[firestar464]

+ unaligned AI and sharpiegate everywhere

[EliteDragonXx]

Well, i watched his speech at the RNC on youtube, and from what i remember, he wants to:

1. “Find a cure” for Cancer / Alzheimers, which i would assume means more money into research
2. End the electric vehicle mandate, and basically make ICE cars more accessible.
3. End the green new deal
4. Have everything be made in America
5. Expand oil drilling

There’s other stuff i can’t remember

So from what i’ve heard, electric cars and clean energy will get fucked in the ass, and cancer / alzheimers research will get more funding.

[Jakob]

As I've said before, Trump will undergo a singularity and rise to the First Toposophic. Thereafter, He and the great advisor Elon will create O'Neill Cylinders and Orion Drives to start a MAGA Empire among the stars while on Earth, all the woke liberals lives in pods where they eat bugs, own nothing, and have mandatory gender changes twice a week. A true utopia for all parties involved!

[raklian]

A old Jakob has resurfaced. I had been wondering if I'll ever see him again.

[funkervogt]

Less restrictive federal rules on AI development and AI safety.

[firestar464]

I say the regulatory environment would probably be chaotic and unpredictable.

[weatheriscool]

Less restrictive federal rules on AI development and AI safety.

That is probably is one of the few good things about Trump. And I kind of get why Elon would support him...1. Weaker FDA to stop his launches and 2. would favor telsa with huge tariffs on china's cars and less support for other companies in this country.

[Cyber_Rebel]

As I've said before, Trump will undergo a singularity and rise to the First Toposophic. Thereafter, He and the great advisor Elon will create O'Neill Cylinders and Orion Drives to start a MAGA Empire among the stars while on Earth, all the woke liberals lives in pods where they eat bugs, own nothing, and have mandatory gender changes twice a week. A true utopia for all parties involved!

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In all seriousness though, more and more I see a pivot from Silicon Valley tech leaders seemingly in favor for Trump. What I'd wager is that certain technologies such as EVs and AI simply won't be government mandates per se but handled mainly within the realm of the MegaCorps. I doubt that Elon Musk who endorses Trump simply ends his EV initiative for example, it just becomes more privatized. Though perhaps more cynically nothing really changes here (just wording) and Musk simply negotiates some lucrative government contracts in these domains. Privatized space initiatives won't take a hit, and NASA might be further militarized like what happened with Space Force:

Expanding Freedom, Prosperity and Safety in Space

Under Republican Leadership, the United States will create a robust Manufacturing Industry in Near Earth Orbit, send American Astronauts back to the Moon, and onward to Mars, and enhance partnerships with the rapidly expanding Commercial Space sector to revolutionize our ability to access, live in, and develop assets in Space.

Artificial Intelligence will be very interesting, due to Trump wishing for several Manhattan Projects in AI, which means we might actually get to AGI faster under his administration ironically. It'll be a win for those who prefer a less safety driven approach, and don't think AI will immediately doom everyone.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We will repeal Joe Biden's dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology. In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.

If I'm being honest here, overall, nothing much will really change aside from less safety, and major Silicon Valley tech leaders have already majorly fired their safety teams anyways not that long ago. The biggest danger here is how the administration would handle automation from an AGI which arrives sooner than expected and may prioritize the immediate economic benefits over other measures. I suppose we'll just have to see.

It's a shame that the EPA will likely take the biggest hit since its foundation, but capitalistic forces may help ironically mitigate the damage.

Public health sector is another major worry which might take a hit in this country. Let's not hope for another pandemic debacle anytime soon. I imagine this is where AI health initiatives will take the reigns from many of the public sector ones, as due to lack of funding they will be further perceived as being inadequate, further giving the impression that personalized corporate driven AI health initiatives are simply better. They very well could be if implemented well enough, so we'll see.

Overall, Silicon Valley's priorities and lobbying and the effect such will have on Trump's potential second term, are what could really decide how the second half of this decade shapes up to be: Politico

“Comparisons between Silicon Valley and Wall Street or Washington, D.C., are commonplace, and you can see why — all are power centers, and all are magnets for people whose ambition too often outstrips their humanity,” LaFrance writes. “But Silicon Valley’s influence easily exceeds that of Wall Street and Washington. It is reengineering society more profoundly than any other power center in any other era since perhaps the days of the New Deal.”

[Powers]

In all seriousness though, more and more I see a pivot from Silicon Valley tech leaders seemingly in favor for Trump.

[firestar464]

As I've said before, Trump will undergo a singularity and rise to the First Toposophic. Thereafter, He and the great advisor Elon will create O'Neill Cylinders and Orion Drives to start a MAGA Empire among the stars while on Earth, all the woke liberals lives in pods where they eat bugs, own nothing, and have mandatory gender changes twice a week. A true utopia for all parties involved!

---------------------------------------------------------------------


In all seriousness though, more and more I see a pivot from Silicon Valley tech leaders seemingly in favor for Trump. What I'd wager is that certain technologies such as EVs and AI simply won't be government mandates per se but handled mainly within the realm of the MegaCorps. I doubt that Elon Musk who endorses Trump simply ends his EV initiative for example, it just becomes more privatized. Though perhaps more cynically nothing really changes here (just wording) and Musk simply negotiates some lucrative government contracts in these domains. Privatized space initiatives won't take a hit, and NASA might be further militarized like what happened with Space Force:

Expanding Freedom, Prosperity and Safety in Space

Under Republican Leadership, the United States will create a robust Manufacturing Industry in Near Earth Orbit, send American Astronauts back to the Moon, and onward to Mars, and enhance partnerships with the rapidly expanding Commercial Space sector to revolutionize our ability to access, live in, and develop assets in Space.

Artificial Intelligence will be very interesting, due to Trump wishing for several Manhattan Projects in AI, which means we might actually get to AGI faster under his administration ironically. It'll be a win for those who prefer a less safety driven approach, and don't think AI will immediately doom everyone.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

We will repeal Joe Biden's dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology. In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.

If I'm being honest here, overall, nothing much will really change aside from less safety, and major Silicon Valley tech leaders have already majorly fired their safety teams anyways not that long ago. The biggest danger here is how the administration would handle automation from an AGI which arrives sooner than expected and may prioritize the immediate economic benefits over other measures. I suppose we'll just have to see.

It's a shame that the EPA will likely take the biggest hit since its foundation, but capitalistic forces may help ironically mitigate the damage.

Public health sector is another major worry which might take a hit in this country. Let's not hope for another pandemic debacle anytime soon. I imagine this is where AI health initiatives will take the reigns from many of the public sector ones, as due to lack of funding they will be further perceived as being inadequate, further giving the impression that personalized corporate driven AI health initiatives are simply better. They very well could be if implemented well enough, so we'll see.

Overall, Silicon Valley's priorities and lobbying and the effect such will have on Trump's potential second term, are what could really decide how the second half of this decade shapes up to be: Politico

“Comparisons between Silicon Valley and Wall Street or Washington, D.C., are commonplace, and you can see why — all are power centers, and all are magnets for people whose ambition too often outstrips their humanity,” LaFrance writes. “But Silicon Valley’s influence easily exceeds that of Wall Street and Washington. It is reengineering society more profoundly than any other power center in any other era since perhaps the days of the New Deal.”

Technological unemployment is going to lead to unrest though, and a Biden administration would be more likely to peacefully implement reforms. Trump, however, would resort to violence, resulting in chaos. He would also stall on reforms, meaning that the economy crashes due to capitalism just not working.

I can also see the religious right pressuring Trump to ban AI

[Cyber_Rebel]

I can also see the religious right pressuring Trump to ban AI

Confident there's exactly 0% chance of this happening. There's a reason why Vance of all people was chosen to be his VP aside from Project 2025. The religious right's influence extends as far as social issues go, but the pentagon's need for AI and the capital it brings to the market will always take top precedent over so called "culture war" matters. Honestly, it's about as silly as thinking minorities will be sent to death camps or akin to banning nukes, the latter of which might be a better example.

Trump will never do so simply due to being perceived as inferior to China.

[caltrek]

Just today, before I noticed this thread, I came upon an article concerning an announcement by DOE of $52 million for small business research and development grants. I cited this in the Energy and Environment News and Discussion thread. The article explains that "A total of 229 projects will be funded by the following DOE Offices: Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response; Defense Nuclear Nonproliferation; Electricity; Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy; Fossil Energy and Carbon Management; and Nuclear Energy." Here is a link: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1051892

The thought is that some of these projects will be eligible for "Phase II" follow-up funding. From Trump's rhetoric, I think it is safe to conclude that projects promoting "Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy" will not receive any "Phase II" funding. Further, the entire program may very well be on the chopping block. If the program does survive into the Trump era, you can be sure that a radically different project selection criteria will be applied. "Renewable energy projects" will drop off the list. With the recent Supreme Court ruling undercutting anti-corruption practices, one can expect that a selection criterium that will come to the front is the likelihood of receiving "gratuities," or at least campaign contributions. Dummy corporations that serve to qualify for "small business" status may end up displacing genuine small business concerns targeted by the program. Such kleptocratic practices are likely to become more a feature across the board of research and development efforts. This will be at the expense of planning goals such as addressing climate change, more effective medical treatments, AI development, increasing agricultural productivity, etc.

These effects will be "at the margins" as privately financed R&D will continue and some positive results of a corrupted government funding process will be allowed, if only for showing purposes. Being "at the margins" these kleptocratic practices will mean that the U.S. R&D effort will find it increasingly difficult to keep up with competitors, particularly those in Asia (including China) and Europe. Scientific and technological development will thus shift away from the U.S. toward other R&D centers outside of U.S. borders. Of course, to the extent these trends show up and are acknowledge in statistical terms, such slowed progress will be blamed on the Democrats. Accountability will be furthered hampered by an all-out assault on any press efforts to carry out investigative reporting on corrupt practices. Federal investigations that do take place will be more geared toward targeting political opponents, and not the truly corrupt.

At worse, America will not be made great again, but will slip and slide into an abyss of underdevelopment and impossible to correct corrupt practices. Of course, some of this will depend upon not just the immediate impact of a second Trump administration, but also upon success or failure of future efforts to get back on course. The struggle will thus continue.

[firestar464]

Honestly, it's about as silly as thinking minorities will be sent to death camps or akin to banning nukes, the latter of which might be a better example.

p2025+ Trump's own rhetoric says otherwise.

[Lilymoon]

What impacts on science and tech will a second Trump term bring?
-He will cut investment in weather forecasting and probably gut the noaa. This will severely harm warnings for hurricanes and tornado's. More deaths. Less weather data, less investment into satellites, recon and weather stations. Less investment into computer models. Pretty much our meteorological infrastructure will go to shit!
-Cut government research into science and tech. Clear energy will take a huge hit. China will be happy!
-Probably no more money for wind or solar energy. I think solar can now stand on its own but governmental approval will slow it down in some places.
-Fusion research will be fucked in the ass.
-Nasa will be cut. Probably kills off any mission to the moon or mars. Pretty much putting any hope in the hands of Elon musk. You can forget about anymore big ticket missions under him for at least the next 5 years.
-Restrict driverless cars as they're evil and witch craft!
-Less money for cancer research
-A complete ban on transgender research and you can forget male womb transfers for a few years!
-Kill off anything considered immoral. This shit will become central once again in any research funding.
-Probably a big ass fucking cut in college research grants from the federal government.
-Less money for education in general and a dumber population that falls behind even more.

All together a pretty shitty time I'd say. Will help China overcome any lead that we have and become the undisputed super power of science.

That is odd has normally replicans give more money to NASA. So I don’t think Trump will make cuts to NASA but they have different goals than the liberals.

[firestar464]

IDK the agency might be rendered unable to do meaningful because of Sharpiegate everywhere (they have to test every one of Trump's absolutely bonkers ideas)