The Pentagon wants AI procurements to support Trump’s ‘truth-seeking’ and ‘ideological neutrality’ directives

The Pentagon issued new guidance last week focused on implementing the Trump administration’s so-called “truth-seeking” and “ideological neutrality” principles in AI procurements. A memo dated Oct. 20 from John Tenaglia, the Pentagon’s head of acquisition, noted that the initiative is “in direct support” of a previous executive order from President Donald Trump on “Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government” and a White House Office of Management and Budget memo on “Increasing Public Trust in Artificial Intelligence Through Unbiased AI Principles.” Trump’s EO, issued last year, laid out the administration’s “truth-seeking” and “ideological neutrality” edicts for AI procurements, stating that large language models purchased by federal agencies “shall be truthful in responding to user prompts seeking factual information or analysis” and “prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity, and shall acknowledge uncertainty where reliable information is incomplete or contradictory.” The models must be “neutral, nonpartisan tools that do not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas such as DEI,” Trump wrote, adding that developers “shall not intentionally encode partisan or ideological judgments into an LLM’s outputs unless those judgments are prompted by or otherwise readily accessible to the end user.” Tenaglia noted in his memo that compliance with the White House directives is mandatory.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency published a strategy Monday that focuses on taking a leading role in cyber defense, prioritizing protection of critical infrastructure and building the ability to withstand attacks. The 10-page strategy — “CISA 2030: Defend, Harden, Prevail” — largely reaffirms existing roles for the agency, but CISA will begin reviewing its core services and capabilities within 60 days to make sure they meet key objectives, followed by implementation over the next 180 days and an update on its progress after one year. Acting CISA Director Nick Andersen said in a foreword that the agency needs to act with “renewed purpose” in the face of threats, saying: “The threat landscape we face today is not static.” The strategy is also meant to align with the administration’s broader cyber strategy, published in March, and last year’s executive order on state and local preparedness. “I call on every company and organization in the critical infrastructure community — from owners and operators to vendors and technology manufacturers — to act now,” Andersen said in a comment released with the strategy. “CISA 2030 provides a focused roadmap to strengthen defenses, eliminate adversarial footholds, and deny them any advantage that could endanger the nation’s security, economy, or public health.”

The Daily Scoop Podcast is available every Monday-Friday afternoon.

If you want to hear more of the latest from Washington, subscribe to The Daily Scoop Podcast  on Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Spotify and YouTube.