In a significant shift in policy, U.S. President Donald Trump has reversed a 2023 executive order implemented by his predecessor, Joe Biden, which sought to address the risks associated with artificial intelligence (AI). According to Reuters, the Biden administration’s executive order mandated that AI developers whose systems posed potential threats to national security, the economy, public health, or safety must submit the results of safety tests to the U.S. government before releasing them to the public. This requirement, enacted under the Defense Production Act, also called for federal agencies to establish testing standards to mitigate risks related to chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and cybersecurity threats.
The executive order was introduced as a proactive measure amid the lack of legislative action on AI regulation by U.S. lawmakers. In response, the 2024 Republican Party platform criticized the order, arguing that it stifled innovation in AI. It emphasized the party’s commitment to advancing AI development while upholding values of free speech and human flourishing, stating, “Republicans support AI development rooted in free speech and human flourishing.”
The report notes that generative AI, capable of producing text, images, and videos based on prompts, has sparked both excitement for its possibilities and concern about its potential to displace jobs and create unforeseen challenges. In parallel, the U.S. Commerce Department recently imposed tighter export restrictions on AI-related chips and technologies, a move that has been met with criticism from industry leaders, such as NVIDIA.
In another related development, President Biden issued a separate executive order last week, focusing on addressing the energy needs of advanced AI data centers. This directive called for leasing federal sites under the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy for this purpose. However, Trump has not yet moved to reverse this particular order.
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