President Trump signed a long-awaited executive order on Tuesday that aims to mitigate security threats posed by artificial intelligence, in a shift from the administration's hands-off approach to the technology.
The order asks AI companies to voluntarily submit their most powerful models for the government to test up to 30 days before releasing them to the public.
It also directs federal agencies to develop benchmarks to assess AI models' cyber capabilities, to create an "an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse" to review and share information on vulnerabilities, and to shore up the government's security defenses.
"Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies," the new executive order says. "As these capabilities evolve, my Administration will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that the best and most secure technology is deployed rapidly to confront any and all threats to our country."
The executive order was expected to come out last month, but the White House scrapped signing plans over concerns that it would interfere with AI innovation. Trump said at the time he worried the order would stifle American companies' lead in the global race amid competitive pressure from China.
That earlier version gave the government up to 90 days to review advanced models before release — a timeline that was cut to 30 days in the final order.
The Trump administration has been divided over how to approach AI. While the Biden White House pushed for federal oversight of the emerging technology, Trump has sought to minimize regulation, including at the state level, even as concerns over safety risks have proliferated.
But recently, the development of more powerful AI models has spooked some federal officials, prompting the White House to reverse course and back some safety measures.
In particular, Anthropic's announcement in April that it was limiting the release of its new Mythos Preview model because of its ability to identify and exploit software security vulnerabilities set off alarm bells across Silicon Valley and Washington.
Notably, the order relies on voluntary cooperation from the tech companies leading AI development, such as OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.
Referring to the voluntary testing framework, the order states that "nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models."
Any regulations around the technology would have to come from Congress.
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