Trump’s Reversal of Biden’s AI Order
In the early hours of Donald Trump’s presidency, one of his first actions was to rescind a significant executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) established by former President Joe Biden in 2023.
Biden’s order represented a pioneering effort by the federal government to address critical concerns—both social and national security—associated with AI technologies.
It leveraged the Defense Production Act, requiring developers of major AI systems to submit safety testing data to government agencies before launching their models to the public.
With Trump’s reversal, it appears that regulatory scrutiny on AI may significantly decrease.
Industry Backlash and Claims of Burden
This move to revoke Biden’s order wasn’t unexpected.
Trump had signaled his intention to dismantle the executive order during his campaign, responding to backlash from various industry groups that claimed the reporting requirements were overly burdensome.
Critics argued these obligations could force companies to disclose sensitive trade secrets.
The Republican platform for the 2024 election went so far as to label Biden’s order as “dangerous,” alleging it imposed extreme leftist ideologies on the evolution of AI technology.
Future AI Policy Initiatives
Moreover, Trump’s administration has been responsive to concerns voiced by tech industry advocates, who warn that the United States risks falling behind China in AI research—a potential threat to national security.
Throughout 2024, officials from Trump’s campaign engaged with prominent figures in the technology sector, offering assurances that their administration would avoid imposing restrictive regulations or requirements on AI developers and researchers.
Under Biden’s leadership, the executive order made significant strides in governing AI.
In addition to establishing reporting obligations for the industry, it called on government agencies to investigate and devise methods for integrating AI into their operations.
By the end of Biden’s presidency, many of the 50 federal agencies mentioned in the order had made notable advancements in their AI initiatives.
For example, the Department of Homeland Security successfully launched three pilot programs in 2024 and had implemented 158 AI tools within its framework.
Furthermore, the Biden administration tasked the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with creating a framework to assist businesses in identifying and addressing issues like bias within AI systems.
This initiative is reportedly making good progress and appears poised to continue under future administrations, according to insiders in Washington.
Alexandra Reeve Givens, the CEO of the Center for Democracy and Technology, pointed out that multiple agencies had invested significant resources to guide various sectors in adopting AI while safeguarding individual rights and public safety.
She noted that this effort echoed a bipartisan interest in Congress, aligning with the AI priorities Trump expressed during his first term.
It’s also worth mentioning that Trump had previously issued his own executive order on AI in 2020.
This earlier directive focused on bolstering funding for AI research and establishing national AI research institutes.
Should Trump win a second term, it is likely that the topic of artificial intelligence will take center stage in his future policy initiatives.
Source: Fastcompany