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Trump’s AI Plan Prioritizes Deregulation and U.S. Global Leadership

Tone & Political Bias: Strongly Right-Leaning

Why: The policy emphasizes deregulation, promotes American tech dominance, rejects Biden-era safeguards, and includes language about eliminating ideological “bias” in AI — aligning closely with conservative and MAGA themes.


The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

What’s Happening


The Trump administration released its official AI action plan on Wednesday, outlining a national strategy aimed at boosting American dominance in artificial intelligence through deregulation, infrastructure expansion, and global standard-setting.


The 28-page plan, made public hours before Trump’s “Winning the AI Race” event in Washington, lays out broad initiatives to scale innovation and reduce regulatory oversight — while also calling for federal AI tools to be “free from top-down ideological bias.”


The Plan’s Three Pillars


According to the White House, the action plan is built around:

  • Accelerating Innovation: Fast-tracking AI development by minimizing what it calls “bureaucratic red tape.”

  • Strengthening Infrastructure: Expanding semiconductor manufacturing, streamlining permits for data centers and energy infrastructure.

  • Global Standards: Making U.S.-built AI models, chips, and software the standard worldwide by offering “full stack AI export packages” to allied countries.


Repealing Past Restrictions


This plan marks a departure from the Biden administration’s approach. Early in his second term, Trump repealed Biden’s executive order on AI that introduced safety and ethical standards.

The current plan recommends that the federal government favor states with minimal AI regulation when allocating AI-related funding — a move meant to incentivize pro-industry legislation at the state level.


Concerns About Bias And Procurement


The White House recommends that federal agencies contract only with developers of large language models who ensure their tools are “objective and free from top-down ideological bias.”

  • The term “bias” is not clearly defined in the plan, raising questions about enforceability.

  • Critics argue that this stipulation could slow innovation due to uncertainty and new compliance requirements for companies.

  • Some see this as a political mechanism to discourage what conservatives often label as liberal-leaning AI outputs.


Private Sector And International Strategy


The Trump administration plans to collaborate closely with U.S. tech firms to export American AI products globally:

  • Partnering with companies to provide bundled AI software, hardware, and models to allied nations.

  • Encouraging international adoption of American-built AI systems to edge out Chinese alternatives.

  • Tech leaders, including those from OpenAI, Oracle, and SoftBank, are involved in multi-billion-dollar projects like Stargate, a $500 billion infrastructure initiative.


Investment Momentum


The White House claims its policy is backed by wide-ranging feedback, citing over 10,000 responses from public consultations. Recent developments include:

  • $90 billion in private investment commitments aimed at making Pennsylvania a U.S. AI hub.

  • Removal of Biden-era export restrictions on Nvidia AI chips, enabling renewed sales to China.

  • Pressure on tech giants to expand U.S. manufacturing capacity, despite expert skepticism over feasibility.


Industry Pushback And Safety Concerns


Not all responses to the plan have been supportive:

  • A coalition of privacy advocates, unions, and researchers — including the Writers Guild of America East and the AI Now Institute — is calling for a “People’s Action Plan.”

  • Critics argue the Trump strategy favors tech industry growth at the expense of ethical oversight and worker protections.

  • Some lawmakers worry about the lack of safety guardrails in the current deregulation-heavy model.


Geopolitical Competition Drives Policy


White House officials have made it clear: beating China in the AI race is the top priority.

  • AI Czar David Sacks emphasized the economic and security stakes of global leadership.

  • Microsoft President Brad Smith echoed this sentiment, stating that the winner will be determined by whose AI technology becomes the global norm.


The administration is betting on speed, scale, and U.S.-centric standards to stay ahead — even as the tension between innovation and regulation continues to divide policymakers.

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