2025 US Executive Order on AI

Executive Order 14179, signed by Donald Trump on January 23, 2025, aims to strengthen U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence by removing regulatory barriers, mandating an action plan, and revising prior policies.

Executive Order 14179, titled "Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence," is an executive order signed by Donald Trump, the 47th President of the United States, on January 23, 2025. The order initiates a process to strengthen U.S. leadership in artificial intelligence, promote AI development free from ideological bias or social agendas, establish an action plan to maintain global AI dominance, and revise or rescind policies that conflict with these goals. It serves as a replacement for the previous administration's AI regulatory framework, signaling a shift toward a less restrictive approach to AI innovation.

The order directs federal agencies to review and potentially revoke existing AI policies and directives that are seen as barriers to U.S. AI innovation. It mandates the creation of an action plan within 180 days to sustain U.S. AI leadership, focusing on human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security. The order also requires the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to revise certain memoranda within 60 days to align with the new policy direction.

Background

The executive order comes in response to Executive Order 14110, titled "Executive Order on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence," signed by Joe Biden on October 30, 2023. That earlier order established a comprehensive framework for AI governance, including safety assessments, civil rights protections, and federal agency coordination. It was part of a broader effort to address risks associated with machine learning and generative AI technologies.

Donald Trump rescinded Executive Order 14110 on his first day in office with the "Initial Rescissions of Harmful Executive Orders and Actions" executive order. On January 23, 2025, Trump signed the Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence executive order as the replacement covering the development of AI technologies. This action reflected a policy shift toward prioritizing innovation and economic competitiveness over regulatory oversight.

Provisions

The order revokes existing AI policies and directives that are seen as barriers to U.S. AI innovation. It mandates the creation of an action plan within 180 days to sustain U.S. AI leadership, focusing on human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security. The plan is intended to coordinate federal efforts across agencies, including the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

It requires the review of policies, directives, and regulations related to Executive Order 14110 from October 2023 to identify actions that may conflict with the new policy goals. Agencies are instructed to suspend, revise, or rescind actions from the previous executive order that may be inconsistent with the new policy. This includes revisiting safety testing requirements, transparency obligations, and procurement standards that were established under the Biden administration.

The Office of Management and Budget must revise certain memoranda, specifically M-24-10 and M-24-18, within 60 days to align with the new policy. These memoranda previously governed federal agency use of AI and procurement practices. The order specifies that it does not create new enforceable rights or benefits and should be implemented within the boundaries of existing law and appropriations.

Implementation

The National Science and Technology Council's Networking and Information Technology Research and Development (NITRD) program, on behalf of the OSTP, requested public input on the development of an AI Action Plan by March 15, 2025. This solicitation sought comments from industry, academia, and the public on how to advance U.S. AI leadership. The input was intended to inform the action plan's priorities, including infrastructure investment, research funding, and international cooperation.

Over 10,000 public comments were submitted in response to the OSTP request for public input. The comments came from a wide range of stakeholders, including technology companies, research institutions, and advocacy groups. The volume of responses highlighted the significant interest in shaping U.S. AI policy under the new framework.

Reactions

OpenAI submitted comments proposing a five-point strategy focused on regulatory preemption, export controls, copyright protections, infrastructure investment, and government adoption. The company emphasized the ability to learn from copyrighted material to maintain America's lead against China's state-controlled AI efforts, such as DeepSeek. OpenAI argued that access to diverse data sources, including copyrighted works, is essential for training large language models and advancing deep learning capabilities.

Google submitted comments advocating for a three-pronged plan that invests in domestic AI development through energy infrastructure reform, balanced export controls, continued research funding, and coherent federal policies. The company also called for modernizing government AI adoption and promoting innovation-friendly approaches internationally. Google's comments stressed the importance of maintaining U.S. competitiveness in transformer-based models and other AI technologies.

Both OpenAI and Google urged White House opposition to foreign copyright and transparency obligations, for example in the UK Government's preferred option in their Copyright and AI consultation. They argued that such obligations could hinder U.S. AI development and create competitive disadvantages. This position reflected broader industry concerns about international regulatory divergence.

Impact on AI Development

The order is expected to influence the trajectory of AI research and deployment in the United States. By removing regulatory barriers, it may accelerate the development of neural networks and generative AI systems. Companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google DeepMind could benefit from reduced compliance burdens and faster time-to-market for new models.

The order also signals a shift in federal procurement and research priorities. Agencies may increase investment in AI infrastructure, including AWS Trainium chips and Azure cloud services, to support domestic innovation. This could benefit semiconductor companies like AMD, Intel, and NVIDIA, as well as cloud providers like Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud.

International Implications

The order has implications for global AI governance. By opposing foreign copyright and transparency obligations, the U.S. may create friction with allies like the United Kingdom and the European Union, which are pursuing more regulatory approaches. This divergence could affect international collaborations on AI safety and standards, including efforts by organizations like Nokia Bell Labs and Xerox PARC.

The order's emphasis on U.S. leadership may also influence export controls on AI technology. Companies like TSMC and Broadcom could see changes in trade policies affecting chip exports to countries like China. The balance between promoting innovation and protecting national security remains a central tension in the implementation of the order.