According to AFP report on October 8th, the White House stated that U.S. President Donald Trump will award the highest scientific honor in the United States—the National Science Medal—to his close ally Elon Musk and other high-ranking tech executives at a ceremony scheduled for Thursday.
Google co-founder Sergey Brin, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD CEO Lisa Su will also receive the National Science Medal of the United States at the "Science: A New Golden Age" summit.
Computer industry giants Michael Dell and Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, will be awarded the National Technology and Innovation Medal in the United States. This is the highest honor in the field of technology and innovation in the US.
White House spokesperson Liz Huston said in a statement on Wednesday, "The Trump administration thanks these outstanding scientific and technological leaders for their contributions. These awardees are helping ensure the United States continues to lead the world in innovation."
SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk have once again gained Trump's favor. The two had a falling out last year due to Musk leading the Government Efficiency Department, which aimed to cut government spending.
Musk is also one of Trump's biggest donors for his 2024 presidential campaign.
Both Musk and Helson attended the state banquet hosted by Trump for Chinese leaders last month.
Last week, they also went to the White House to participate in talks with other tech industry executives. During the talks, these technology company leaders promised to address the potential threats posed by artificial intelligence through industry self-regulation.
Trump dismisses the warnings that artificial intelligence could lead to human extinction, and insists that artificial intelligence is crucial for achieving his so-called “golden age” of the American economy during his second term in office.
However, as voters are concerned about the war in Iran and the cost of living, the Republican Party led by Trump may lose control of Congress in the mid-term elections next month.
