Staff Reports
President Trump has jumped back into the AI fray with an executive order designed to bulldoze over the stumbling blocks left by the previous administration. Dubbed as necessary for restoring America’s leadership in AI technology, Trump’s new directive declares war on what he describes as “barriers to American AI innovation.” Of course, these supposed barriers are remnants of policies from the Biden era, which left more red tape than actual innovation.
The order makes it crystal clear: American AI should be free from ideological biases or engineered agendas. In those powerful words, Trump reflects his commitment to ensuring that technology serves its primary purpose—improving lives, boosting the economy, and securing the nation. Rather than naming specific policies, this order takes a more sweeping approach, instructing a rigorous review of all regulatory actions stemming from Biden’s previous AI directive. Any of Biden’s tedious mandates that don’t promote “human flourishing” will be cast aside like last year’s election results.
President Trump signs executive order to keep the United States at the forefront of AI innovation by ensuring we "develop AI systems that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas." pic.twitter.com/eK9BVpkzQO
— M (@CallmeM__) January 23, 2025
Under the Biden administration, federal agencies faced a mandate to demonstrate that their AI tools weren’t harming the public—an audacious requirement that appeared more about regulating than promoting innovation. Trump’s team sees this as a bureaucratic chokehold on creativity, stifling any potential for groundbreaking advancements. Trump’s order aims to filter out these burdensome regulations and refresh how agencies responsibly acquire and deploy AI tools.
The former Bad News Bears of Washington, a.k.a. Biden’s team, had intentions to put a leash on AI tools to prevent mischief like racial bias in facial recognition technology or to avoid AI medical diagnostic chatbots spouting outright lies. However, one must wonder if their cautious approach really served the nation’s best interests. Trump’s emphasis on unfettered advancement in AI calls for a complete overhaul of these barriers. In fact, he has already indicated that a comprehensive AI strategy is on the way, with an action plan due within the next 180 days. Of particular note, his new Special Advisor for AI and Crypto will be David Sacks, a venture capitalist with a reputation for fostering innovation rather than hindering it.
Alondra Nelson, who walked the halls of power in the Biden administration, remarked that Trump’s directive looks backward instead of forward, hinting at an impending unwinding of beneficial initiatives. However, isn’t it refreshing for a leader to take a step back and focus on allowing innovation to flourish instead of being snagged by a minefield of government regulations? The concern for public safety shouldn’t eclipse the need for forward-thinking technology, especially when it comes to fields that could open doors to tremendous advancement.
Biden’s administration may have initiated an urgent need to study the impact of AI across various sectors, but that doesn’t equate to progress. The focus on sharing details of powerful AI models before releasing them to the public wasn’t really a safeguard—it was merely a way to hinder progress in an industry that moves at lightning speed. Now, with Trump back in charge, there is a glimmer of hope for restoring America’s edge in technological innovation. His pledge to prioritize “human flourishing” resonates with the belief that technology, when harnessed correctly, can uplift society rather than restrict it. As the gears of innovation start to grind again, the focus will be on unleashing potential rather than sowing seeds of doubt.
