Trump says U.S. will win the race on artificial intelligence
The White House unveiled a collection of initiatives that aim to make the U.S. the world leader of artificial intelligence.
The AI action plan has three policy pillars: accelerating innovation, building AI infrastructure, and leading international diplomacy and security.
A 28-page plan published by the White House outlines the red tape that needs to be cut, lays out how to increase AI infrastructure and ensures that American AI is the world’s leader, which includes sharing with allies.
“The United States needs to innovate faster and more comprehensively than our competitors in the development and distribution of new AI technology across every field, and dismantle unnecessary regulatory barriers that hinder the private sector in doing so,” the plan’s introduction says.
The blueprint supports easier permitting for data centers, semiconductor plants and the modernization of the nation’s electric grid, along with making sure AI systems are free “ideological bias [and] social engineering agendas.” It has a policy recommending removal of references to “misinformation, diversity, equity and inclusion, and climate change.”
It also calls for states with “burdensome AI regulations” to be penalized by not receiving AI-related federal funding, for AI education to be a priority for youth and employers, and to find ways AI fits into the military.
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President Trump further outlined his plans Wednesday evening during an event hosted by the “All-in Podcast.” The podcast is a business and tech forum co-hosted by Mr. Trump’s crypto and AI czar, David Sacks, among others.
“We’re still in the earliest days of one of the most important technological revolutions in the history of the world. Around the world people are talking about artificial intelligence…and its potential to transform every type of human endeavor, and domain of human knowledge from medicine to manufacturing to warfare and national defense,” Mr. Trump said. “Whether we like it or not, we’re suddenly engaged in a fast-paced competition to build and define this groundbreaking technology that will determine so much about the future of civilization itself.”
He said the U.S. started the AI race and will ultimately win it. Mr. Trump joked that he doesn’t like the term “artificial intelligence” because he doesn’t like anything artificial, saying AI is “genius.”
On Tuesday, more than 100 groups, including labor unions, parent groups, environmental justice organizations and privacy advocates, signed a resolution opposing Mr. Trump’s embrace of industry-driven AI policy and calling for a “People’s AI Action Plan” that would “deliver first and foremost for the American people.”
J.B. Branch, Big Tech accountability advocate at the watchdog group Public Citizen, which signed the resolution, called the plan a “sellout.”
“Under this plan, tech giants get sweetheart deals while everyday Americans will see their electricity bills rise to subsidize discounted power for massive AI data centers,” Mr. Branch said in a statement Wednesday. “Americans deserve an AI future rooted in safety, fairness, and accountability — not a handout to billionaires.”
Mr. Trump signed an executive order expediting federal permits, reviews and construction of AI infrastructure projects. The president said another order will turn America into an “AI-export powerhouse” by promoting the exporting of U.S. AI models.
A third order banned the government from procuring AI technology that includes partisan bias or ideological agendas like critical race theory, Mr. Trump said.
The president has signed several executive orders dating back to his first term that have made AI a priority. During his first day in office, he signed an order rescinding orders signed under the Biden administration that sought to put safeguards on the use and development of AI.
“President Trump believes it is non-negotiable that the United States wins the AI race,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters at a briefing Wednesday. “Under President Trump’s leadership, our country will lead the world in AI to secure a brighter future for all Americans, massively grow our economy and protect our national security.”
— This article is based in part on wire service reports.