President_Donald_Trump_signing_executive_orders_(04)
President Trump did something important recently that didn't get nearly enough attention — first, he refused to sign a proposed Executive Order on artificial intelligence that would have handed federal government sweeping new power over one of the most consequential technologies in human history, and then he made sure the version that finally got signed was dramatically scaled back.
The original draft, which leaked to the media, was a bureaucratic wish list. It would have required AI developers to submit their innovations to the federal government for review of up to ninety days before releasing them to anyone else. It was framed as voluntary, but anyone who watches how Washington works knows what voluntary government programs become over time.
Trump was right to walk away from that version, and when he did sign an AI executive order days later, it was significantly different than the original. The review window was cut from ninety days down to thirty, and the order went out of its way to say it does not authorize mandatory licensing or government preclearance. The federal bureaucracy has no expertise in AI and no business being its gatekeeper, and Trump's team clearly listened to that concern.
There's a telling subplot here: Anthropic, one of the leading AI developers, walked away from a profitable contract with the War Department rather than agree to remove ethical restrictions on how its technology could be used. Meanwhile, a co-founder of Anthropic was at the Vatican making the case for ethical limits on AI in the Pope's religious teachings. Pope Leo responded with a letter condemning the use of AI to wage war and destroy jobs.
This spring, college graduates loudly and repeatedly booed commencement speakers who praised AI. Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and real estate executive Gloria Caulfield received hostile reactions, while Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was cheered for praising “Actual Intelligence.” Students are watching AI filter their resumes and threaten their careers, and they are not happy about it.
Outside of college, citizens across the country are giving major pushback to local officials who are approving massive data center proposals – the kinds of facilities that gobble up land, water, and electricity – including in Festus, Missouri where citizens launched recall petitions against city officials!
Government control of AI innovation is not the answer.
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