Artificial Intelligence: Trump affirms America's upcoming victory in this domain - United States poised for victory in the artificial intelligence competition, according to Trump
In a bid to maintain the USA's leading role in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI), President Donald Trump has unveiled an ambitious action plan titled **"Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan."** The plan, which focuses on three main pillars - accelerating AI innovation, building AI infrastructure in the U.S., and cementing the U.S.'s global leadership in AI - aims to counter growing competition from China and India[1][3].
Key components of the plan include:
- **Loosening or removing regulations** that are seen as barriers to AI innovation. This involves scaling back environmental regulations on data centers and federal regulatory guardrails that were established under President Biden's administration[1][4]. Trump rescinded Biden’s 2023 executive order on AI safety standards shortly after taking office again, aiming to clear the path for more rapid AI development[1].
- **Streamlining federal permitting and infrastructure development** to expedite construction of major AI infrastructure projects, effectively reducing bureaucratic delays[2]. This includes fast-tracking approvals and reviews for infrastructure supporting AI technologies[2].
- **Creating a uniform federal regulatory standard** to override varying state laws regulating AI. Trump criticized the "patchwork" of state AI regulations as obstructive and called for one federal standard to supersede all state regulations. The Office of Management and Budget is directed to limit AI-related funding to states whose regulations might hinder effectiveness, and the Federal Communications Commission is tasked with reviewing state regulations for conflicts with federal obligations[2].
- **Restricting federal government procurement** to AI technologies that are free of “partisan bias or ideological agendas,” according to an executive order signed by Trump. This is intended to ensure that federal AI adoption supports unbiased and innovation-friendly AI tools[2].
- **Expanding American exports of AI hardware and software** to maintain technological leadership and counter global competitors, particularly China, which is explicitly targeted as a rival in the "race" for AI dominance. The plan stresses the strategic importance of America leading global AI standards to capture broad economic and military benefits similar to how the U.S. won the space race[1][3].
- **Transforming the AI Safety Institute** established under Biden into the "pro-innovation, pro-science U.S. Center for AI Standards and Innovation." This shift reflects a focus on supporting technological development rather than imposing restrictive safety measures[1].
The plan includes **over 90 federal actions** designed to support private-sector innovation, infrastructure expansion, and export growth, aligning with the goal to outpace China and India in AI development[3]. However, the plan has drawn criticism from civil rights advocates and consumer groups who warn it favors industry interests and may jeopardize public safety[3].
In addition to the AI action plan, Trump also announced a significant AI infrastructure project called "Stargate" in late January, which aims to attract investments of at least €427 billion. The requirement for compliance with this project applies to all companies doing business with the government[5].
The Trump administration's approach to AI emphasizes the importance of winning the race in the field of artificial intelligence, with Trump comparing it to the space race in terms of the challenges it presents[6]. The plan does not mention any focus on social diversity or anti-discrimination programs, and environmental concerns about AI servers consuming vast amounts of energy will no longer play a role in future decisions[7].
Companies involved in the Stargate project include OpenAI, Oracle, and the Japanese SoftBank conglomerate[8]. The action plan for AI aims to remove bureaucracy and burdensome regulations for AI companies, as stated earlier[9]. Notably, Trump rescinded guidelines from his predecessor Joe Biden that required large AI developers to share security evaluations and other central information with federal agencies[10].
- Despite the Commission's ongoing effort to propose a directive on worker protection from ionizing radiation risks, the focus in the political arena, particularly in the USA, has shifted to the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence (AI).
- As part of President Trump's AI action plan, titled "Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan," the approach involves loosening or removing regulations perceived as barriers to AI innovation, such as environmental regulations on data centers and federal safety standards.
- In line with the global race for AI dominance, the plan proposed by President Trump also focuses on creating a uniform federal regulatory standard to override varying state laws regulating AI, aiming to streamline technological advancements and maintain the USA's leadership in the field.
