Trump orders review of Biden admin’s AI work, creation of new AI action plan
An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday mandates a review of agency activities stemming from the Biden administration’s now-revoked EO on artificial intelligence and calls for the creation of a new plan of action.
The brief order establishes that it is the policy of the U.S. “to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” It sets in motion steps for the new administration as it looks to craft its own approach to the growing technology.
President Joe Biden’s order (EO 14110), which was among the first items Trump revoked after returning to the White House, had been focused on using the technology while also managing its safety and security risks. But Trump and Republicans took issue with it, saying it would hinder AI development. The Republican party platform called it “dangerous.”
The order also specifically said the country needs AI systems “free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas” to maintain U.S. leadership. That follows comments from Republicans, such as Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, that AI safety standards under the Biden administration were “woke.”
To address that, the new order directs Trump’s special advisor for AI and crypto and the assistant to the president for science and technology policy to coordinate with agencies to review “all policies, directives, regulations, orders, and other actions taken pursuant to” the Biden executive order.
It also ordered the director of the Office of Management and Budget to revise two memos that stemmed from the Biden AI order on the federal government’s use (M-24-10) and acquisition (M-24-18) of the technology within the next two months. Those revisions will be done “as necessary to make them consistent with” the new order’s AI policy.
An action plan to achieve the policy established in the order is due to the president within 180 days.
The new order answers some questions about where existing memos and work that stemmed from the Biden EO stand in its absence, but some things are still uncertain. For example, the status of the National Science Foundation’s National AI Research Resource pilot, which aims to democratize access to tools needed for AI research, isn’t clear.
An NSF spokesperson said the agency “looks forward to working with the new Administration to ensure long-term U.S. competitiveness in all fields of science and engineering for our economic and national security” and said they are “reviewing all the executive orders carefully and implementing them accordingly.”
The White House didn’t respond to a request for comment on the NAIRR pilot or its position on the Biden administration’s national security memo on AI and executive order on AI infrastructure (EO 14141).
