Why Trump dashed Biden’s AI executive order, and why it matters

During President Donald Trump’s first few hours in power, he revoked Joe Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI. In the absence of congressional action, Biden’s EO served as the first effort by the federal government to address the considerable societal and national security risks presented by AI. Relying on the Defense Production Act, the EO required developers of the largest AI systems to submit safety testing data to the government before the models were released. But now, the government will likely pull back its oversight role.

Trump’s revocation was no surprise. The president vowed to reverse the Biden EO while on the campaign trail after a number of industry groups complained that the Biden EO’s reporting requirements were onerous, and could require AI companies to divulge trade secrets. The 2024 Republican platform even called the order “dangerous,” claiming it imposed “radical leftwing ideas on the development of this technology.” 

The Trump Administration has also been responsive to tech industry accelerationist voices saying that the U.S. falling behind China in AI research could represent a national security threat. Trump campaign officials met with tech industry luminaries during 2024 to give assurances that the government will not place restrictions and requirements on AI researchers and developers.

What Biden’s executive order accomplished

Alongside the industry reporting requirements, Biden’s EO called on government agencies to study and develop plans for implementing AI in their own operations. Many of the 50 agencies addressed in the document were far into their AI initiatives and projects by the end of Biden’s term. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), for example, completed three pilot projects during 2024 and already has 158 AI tools in use across the department.

Biden’s executive order also directed the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create a framework that companies can use to identify and correct flaws (such as bias) in AI models. That work is well down the road and is likely to continue, aWashington source says.

“[A]gencies have invested significant time into developing guidance for various sectors to support AI adoption while respecting people’s rights and safety,” says Center for Democracy and Technology CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens in a statement. “That work tracked bipartisan interest in Congress—and, notably, was largely in line with the priorities President Trump laid out for AI during his first term in office.”

The race for AI dominance 

Trump issued his own AI executive order in 2020, which increased funding for AI research and established national AI research institutes, among other things. Artificial intelligence may be the subject of more presidential missives during Trump’s second term.

The government is trying other routes to advantaging U.S. AI companies over their Chinese competitors. The Commerce Department last week issued new restrictions on the export of AI chips and related technologies to other countries. Also last week, Biden issued an executive order calling for the Defense and Energy departments to lease federal lands for the building of facilities that will generate power for the data centers that power AI services and research, and that order was not among the 80 that Trump reversed Monday.

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