In October 2023, President Joe Biden issued Executive Order 14110, on the “Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence.” The order established guiding principles and priorities for federal AI policy and outlined actions to address AI’s risks and benefits. At the time, the order was the most comprehensive US AI governance policy.

On his first day in office of his current term, President Donald Trump revoked EO 14110, saying it was excessively regulatory and impeded US technological innovation amidst an intense global AI race against such competitors as China. This echoed similar Trump claims about US policies on self-driving vehicles, infrastructure development, and nuclear power. The administration’s antidote is a “lighter” AI regulatory approach, with a focus on national security concerns and promoting competitive advantage in AI commercial development.

Powering data centers / Three days after withdrawing the Biden EO, Trump signed EO 14179, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence.” In typically Trumpian language, the order states, “It is the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” The order “revokes certain existing AI policies and directives that act as barriers to American AI innovation, clearing a path for the United States to act decisively to retain global leadership in artificial intelligence.” The order requires the administration to produce an “Artificial Intelligence Action Plan,” which it subsequently did, and empowers Trump officials to begin an immediate review of all federal policies taken pursuant to the revoked EO 14110 that might impede the new policy goals.

Interestingly, so far Trump has not repealed a second Biden AI order, EO 14141, “Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure,” signed the week before Biden left office. Among other things, the order requires new AI data centers to use “clean” (i.e., non-carbon-emitting) energy sources such as wind power. This clashes with Trump’s skepticism (to put it mildly) of wind generation, though the administration is more favorably disposed to solar, geothermal, and nuclear power, not to mention fossil fuels. Beyond the politics of energy and the environment, EO 14141 has ramifications on private sector AI data center location and development strategies. The US Department of Energy (DOE) has identified 16 potential sites for rapid AI data center construction, emphasizing in-place energy infrastructure with the ability to fast-track permitting for new generation, including nuclear. Trump administration efforts to increase nuclear generation (with the stated goal of quadrupling domestic production in the next 25 years) will bear on further siting decisions.

Government and industry AI regulation / Of course, the larger controversies about AI concern how it will be developed and used. Unsurprisingly, the Trump administration and its allies in Congress promote a more laissez-faire approach. Early versions of the “Big Beautiful Bill” budget reconciliation legislation included a provision that would have blocked some federal funding to states if they were to implement some forms of AI regulation, out of concern that a patchwork of laws across 50 states would complicate compliance and slow innovation. In recent years, over 1,000 bills having to do with AI have been introduced in different state legislatures. The federal budget provision was ultimately deleted by the US Senate on a 99–1 vote.

US technology heavyweights Google, Microsoft, IBM, and Meta are investing heavily in AI. They have internal AI ethical practices and exert considerable influence on the broader industry. A product of this is ISO/IEC 42001 certification, an industry-wide standard implemented in 2023 that addresses such matters as operational transparency and ethics. Of course, these firms don’t act on pure altruism, but they are mindful of their public image. An August 2024 Bentley University/​Gallop survey on AI usage in business found that 57 percent of Americans believe that to alleviate public concerns about AI, businesses should be transparent about how they use the technology. Understandably, the tech giants will respond to this market signal.

But will that be enough to avoid calamity and—just as important—public backlash against AI, or will the federal government ultimately step in and—for one reason or another—take a more active role in AI regulation? For now, under Trump, such muscular intervention is unlikely. But, like the technology itself, the politics of AI intervention is fluid and evolving.