President Donald Trump signed an executive order on artificial intelligence Thursday that will revoke past government policies his order says “act as barriers to American AI innovation."
To maintain global leadership in AI technology, "we must develop AI systems that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas,” the order says.
The new order doesn't name which existing policies are hindering AI development but calls for the development of an AI action plan within 180 days.
Just hours after returning to the White House on Monday, Trump repealed former President Joe Biden’s guardrails for fast-developing AI technology, a sweeping executive order signed in 2023.
Until Thursday, it wasn't clear if Trump planned to replace Biden's signature AI policy with his own order. Trump had also signed executive orders on AI in his previous term, which are still on the books.
Much of Biden’s 2023 order set in motion a sprint across government agencies to study’s AI impact on everything from cybersecurity risks to its effects on education, workplaces and public benefits, with an eye on ensuring AI tools weren't harming people. That work is done.
One major piece that remained — until Trump rescinded it Monday — was a requirement that tech companies building the most powerful AI models share details with the government about the workings of those systems before they are unleashed to the public.