Trump signs narrower executive order on AI oversight after industry objections
President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday designed to give the government a chance to assess powerful AI models before they are released.
The order asks certain AI companies to voluntarily submit their new models to the government for testing or evaluation 30 days before the products are released to the public. An earlier draft of the decision called for a voluntary review up to 90 days in advance, although AI industry insiders had pushed for something closer to a two-week period.
Trump was scheduled to sign the more demanding version of the order in late May, but that was delayed after industry opposition, including from venture capitalists and the former White House AI czar. David Zaks. The president said at the time that he did not want to do anything to hinder the leadership of AI companies against China.
“Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of any mandatory government licensing, pre-clearance, or licensing requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models,” reads the order, which was published Tuesday.
Trump planned to sign the EO in the presence of a bevy of top Silicon Valley CEOs, but ultimately signed the current version privately.
In addition to the government’s voluntary review of the AI model, the EO directs the Department of Justice to treat crimes such as AI-assisted hacking and unauthorized access as a high-priority enforcement area.
This isn’t the president’s first EO on AI. Last December, Trump signed an order directing the development of a “one rulebook,” or national AI policy framework, intended to undermine state AI laws.
