Trump Pulls AI Executive Order at Last Minute, Citing U.S. Tech Lead
President Donald Trump abruptly delayed signing an executive order on AI on Thursday afternoon. He told reporters in the Oval Office that he pulled the order at the last minute because it could risk undermining American competitiveness in technology. He answered reporters’ questions about the sudden move in the Oval Office.
Trump Abruptly Pulls Planned AI Executive Order
President Trump spoke with reporters about his move, saying that America is ahead of China and everyone else, and thought that the order could get in the way of that lead. In a statement obtained by NBC News, Trump said, “We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead. I really thought the order could have been a blocker.” The order was apparently weeks in development, and it was set to help direct federal agencies to build up key cybersecurity defenses
It was supposed to partner with the world’s leading artificial intelligence companies voluntarily to evaluate advanced models before they could be made available to the public. Had the order gone through, it would have made its debut less than two months after artificial intelligence company Anthropic’s Mythos Preview model showed the ability to find cyber vulnerabilities, especially in web browsers and operating systems.
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Trump Says Parts of AI Order Raised Concerns
Trump also explained that he didn’t like some specific things he was seeing with the executive order when asked about it. Per CBS News, he said, “I didn’t like certain aspects of it, I postponed it. I postponed that meeting; it was a press conference, it was a signing, actually, because I didn’t like what I was seeing.” Vice President JD Vance spoke at a news conference on Wednesday and said that the administration was prioritizing protecting people’s information and privacy.
Anthropic hasn’t yet released Mythos publicly. The company has only allowed access to particular groups of technology companies and government agencies to help strengthen their cybersecurity defenses. It is not clear whether discussions or any further moves of the suddenly delayed order will come up for a potential official signing. Major tech CEOs received invitations on short notice, and several were not able to attend the scheduled signing of the order.
How The New Order Differs From The Previous Administration’s Approach
On his first day in office, Trump repealed one of former President Joe Biden’s key AI executive orders. Biden’s order had established its own method for identifying which artificial intelligence models were considered most advanced or highest risk and required leading companies of the technology to share the results of internal testing, security protocols and other development details. By contrast, the AI executive order now under consideration would rely on voluntary testing and would not mandate the same level of company disclosures that Biden’s order required.
The draft reflects an ongoing debate inside government and industry over how to manage rapidly advancing artificial intelligence systems without stifling technological development. Administration officials and company representatives have framed voluntary testing as a way to address safety and security concerns while preserving incentives for innovation. The final text, if eventually issued, would determine how closely the federal government can work with private developers to vet models before they reach the public.
