President Trump has postponed the signing an executive order around government AI oversight, CNN reported, saying he “didn’t like certain aspects” of it. Originally, the order would have compelled AI companies to share advanced models with the government ahead of launch to ensure their safety, but it was later watered down to make tech company participation voluntary.
The delay reportedly came about due to last-minute pressure from AI industry leaders, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, along with former US AI and crypto czar David Sacks. They told Trump that the new system could slow development of AI tech that has become integral to the US economy, anonymous insiders told The Washington Post. The decision was made after the White House had already sent invitations to tech leaders for a signing ceremony set to happen yesterday afternoon.
Speaking about AI technology advancements, Trump said “I really thought that that [the bill] could have been a blocker, and I want to make sure that it’s not.” The President has yet to say how or if the bill might be changed and when it will now be signed.
So far, the White House has taken a hands-off approach to AI. “We have to grow that baby [AI] and let that baby thrive. We can’t stop it. We can’t stop it with politics… [and] foolish rules and even stupid rules,” Trump said at an event last July.
However, the president may have changed tack following an AI backlash from voters concerned about job losses and high electric bills. Another factor may have been Anthropic’s Mythos, a model designed to find cybersecurity vulnerabilities faster than any human could. Proponents of the bill said that without oversight, state actors could weaponize such tech and turn it against the US.
The White House had an executive order draft ready that balanced industry concerns with public safety. It called for companies to submit models 90 days before public release, with strictly voluntary participation. That wasn’t enough for the likes of Sacks and Musk, though, who warned that the EO could still lead to a chilling effect on the tech.
White House officials were reportedly taken aback by the delay, particularly as Sacks had previously said he could live with the order. The bill is still likely to be revisited, according to the WaPo‘s sources, but it’s not clear when a new draft will emerge.
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