President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday aimed at giving the government a chance to review powerful AI models before they are made public.
The order requires certain AI companies to voluntarily submit new models to the government for testing or evaluation 30 days before releasing their products to the public. A previous draft order called for a voluntary review up to 90 days in advance, but AI industry stakeholders had pushed for a deadline closer to two weeks.
President Trump had been scheduled to sign a tougher version of the executive order in late May, but his signature was delayed after opposition from venture capitalist and former White House AI czar David Sachs and others. The president said at the time that he didn’t want to do anything that would get in the way of AI companies taking the lead in dealing with China.
“Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of mandatory government licensing, prior approval, or permitting requirements for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models,” the order issued Tuesday reads.
Trump had planned to sign the EO in the presence of top Silicon Valley CEOs, but ended up signing the current version in private.
In addition to the government’s voluntary review of AI models, the EO directs the Department of Justice to treat AI-assisted crimes such as hacking and unauthorized access as a high-priority enforcement area.
This is not the first time a president has served as chief AI official. Last December, President Trump signed an order directing the creation of a “one rulebook” or national AI policy framework aimed at preempting state AI laws.
