Threats to US payment rails helped trigger Bessent's AI worries

- **Scott Bessent** is the U.S. Treasury Secretary under President Trump. He has been a central figure in economic policy, including financial sanctions and the national debt. - **"Payment rails"** is a term for the infrastructure that moves money between banks — in this case, the Fed's system (Fedwire, ACH, etc.). These systems are considered critical national infrastructure. - The article reports that warnings about vulnerabilities in these payment rails — possibly from cyberattacks or operational risk — led Bessent to become more concerned about **AI risks to financial stability**. The idea is that AI could be used to attack or disrupt these systems at a scale or speed humans can't match. - This connects to a broader debate in Washington: how to regulate AI in finance, balancing innovation with systemic risk. Bessent's position is notable because Treasury oversees both sanctions enforcement and the stability of the payment system.