Trump issues executive order on AI deregulation

Three days after rescinding Biden’s AI executive order, Trump signed “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence,” establishing the new administration’s affirmative AI policy. The order stated federal policy was “to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security,” and directed the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology, the Special Advisor for AI and Crypto, and the National Security Affairs adviser to develop an AI action plan within 180 days.

The order also required agencies to review policies, regulations and guidance issued under the revoked EO 14110 and identify any that were “inconsistent with, or present obstacles to” the new direction, and gave the Office of Management and Budget 60 days to revise its AI procurement and use guidance. It made explicit reference to developing AI “free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas,” language that recurred in subsequent administration statements on AI.

The White House solicited public input on the action plan, drawing more than 10,000 comments from companies and advocacy groups. OpenAI’s submission argued for federal preemption of state AI laws, tighter export controls, copyright protections favouring AI training, and infrastructure investment; Google called for energy-infrastructure reform to support domestic AI development alongside calibrated export controls. Both opposed extending foreign copyright obligations to AI training data.

The order set the clock on what became, six months later, the AI Action Plan released in July 2025 — the administration’s fullest statement of AI policy, built on the deregulatory and competitiveness framing established here.