Trump EO on AI recognizes innovation imperative but leaves room for overreach 

The Trump White House today put forward an executive order on “Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security.” CEI regulatory policy expert Wayne Crews and Jessica Melugin evaluate what the administration seems to get right and where it may be veering down the wrong path. 

Wayne Crews, CEI Fred L. Smith fellow in regulatory studies: 

“The Administration deserves credit for recognizing that innovation, not precautionary regulation, is what made America the global leader in AI. The order correctly rejects formal licensing and preclearance of AI models, but it also hints at a growing government role in identifying ‘frontier’ models, selecting certain ‘trusted partners,’ and coordinating deployment and information sharing.  

“The challenge with setting AI policy is ensuring that cybersecurity ‘cooperation’ does not become industrial policy by another name — a trend already disconcertingly evident in emerging AI policy frameworks. 

“AI’s greatest danger is not technological misalignment but political misalignment – or what we dub ‘misalignment by design,’ the growing fusion of government priorities and private-sector innovation.  

“Too much enthusiasm in replacing necessary competitive market disciplines and constraints with government steering risks undermining the very security and resilience the executive order seeks to promote. Government is not some neutral arbiter with all-knowing wisdom with respect to AI safety; it is already a major AI actor through funding, procurement, regulation, and militarization, all of which present risks of their own not addressed in this order.  

“Efforts to strengthen cybersecurity are legitimate, but policymakers should avoid arrangements that privilege selected firms, institutionalize government-industry coordination, or transform voluntary collaboration into an unofficial system of AI governance.” 

Jessica Melugin, director of CEI’s Center for Technology and Innovation: 

“Today’s AI EO, much like earlier leaked drafts, wisely stops short of calling for mandatory government licensing, but leaves plenty of room for future regulatory overreach. Ultimately, Congress needs to deliberate very carefully on the question of balancing safety with maintaining innovation and U.S. global competitiveness.”