President Trump Signs EO Promoting US Leadership in AI
Commentary by Steven Lofchie
President Trump signed an Executive Order to "sustain and enhance America's global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security."
In the EO, the President asserted that "[t]he United States has long been at the forefront of artificial intelligence (AI) innovation, driven by the strength of our free markets, world-class research institutions, and entrepreneurial spirit." The President emphasized his commitment to "develop AI systems that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas."
The President directed the development of an "Artificial Intelligence Action Plan" within 180 days to implement the Administration's AI policy and named a number of Governmental Officers, by title, that are to be charged with the development of the Plan.
The President revoked Executive Order 14110 ("Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence") issued on October 30, 2023. The new EO requires agencies to identify and revise or rescind any policies or directives issued under the previous order that are inconsistent with the Administration's new approach to AI leadership.
Commentary
This Trump Executive Order is quite short (less than 2 pages). It sets out just two goals: (i) obtaining "global leadership" in AI; and (ii) developing AI systems that are free from "ideological bias or engineered social agendas."
By contrast, President Biden's Executive Order 14110, just revoked, ran over 40 pages. While EO 14110 was also intended to promote AI, that goal was subsumed within 30 or 50 other goals (responsible innovation, AI education, IP questions, attracting immigration, helping small businesses, job training, job quality, minimizing health and safety risks, incorporating the view of labor unions, promoting equity, civil rights, justice for all, consumer protection laws, raising the quality of goods and services, lowering prices, expanding product selection and availability, protecting privacy, improving professional training, imposing safeguards, engaging with international allies, providing AI benefits to the entire world, promoting consensus standards, creating benchmarks, assessing trustworthiness, implementing mentorship programs, providing resources to small businesses, limiting workplace disruptions and more). That laundry list of goals ultimately makes the achievement of any one, or even any limited set of them, impossible. At best, it doomed the effort to mediocrity.
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