On July 23, 2025, President Donald J. Trump unveiled a sweeping new national policy framework, America's AI Action Plan, through a coordinated release of three Executive Orders aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies in the United States. This landmark policy shift signals the administration's clear intention to minimize regulatory friction, bolster U.S. competitiveness in AI, and assert ideological oversight over government procurement and use of AI systems.
The AI Action Plan represents a marked further departure from the Biden-era regulatory emphasis on safety and equity, and instead advances a deregulatory, innovation-first approach, emphasizing infrastructure, export growth, and anti-bias measures aligned with the administration's political priorities. In the words of President Trump: "We are going to win the AI race—not by regulating it to death, but by unleashing it."
Key Executive Orders
- Executive Order on Eliminating Ideological Bias in
AI Procurement
The Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government Executive Order bars federal agencies from procuring AI tools or systems deemed "ideologically biased." In practice, this means systems perceived to reflect liberal or progressive values, particularly those referencing diversity, equity, or climate change—may be disfavored. Agencies must now prioritize tools that are "truth-seeking" and "neutral, nonpartisan tools" that prioritize "historical accuracy, scientific inquiry and objectivity in responding to user prompts and that "do not manipulate responses in favor of ideological dogmas such as DEI" unless the user asks for such information. The Order allows federal agencies to determine if they will build these principles into AI models developed by the agencies and offers exceptions for national security systems. Federal contracts must include provisions that incorporate the "Unbiased AI Principles" set forth in the Executive Order. - Executive Order on Fast-Tracking AI Infrastructure
Projects
The "Accelerating Federal Permitting of Data Center Infrastructure" Executive Order revokes Executive Order 14141 "Advancing United States Leadership in Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure." In addition, the Executive Order expedites environmental permitting and zoning approval for AI infrastructure—particularly data centers and semiconductor fabs—by streamlining reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The aim is to enable rapid buildout of computing infrastructure critical to training large-scale AI models and supporting commercial deployment. - Executive Order on Export Promotion of the
American AI Technology Stack
This directive encourages federal agencies, including the Departments of State and Commerce, to create the American AI Export Program to support U.S. companies in marketing and exporting U.S. AI products abroad. It mandates diplomatic and trade efforts to counter foreign competitors, particularly China, and provides for strategic relaxation of export controls in certain allied markets. In addition, the Executive Order requires the Secretary of Commerce to coordinate the mobilization of Federal financing tools to support the priority of AI export packages.
Highlights from the AI Action Plan
The 38-page Action Plan expands on the directives above and introduces additional policies:
- Deregulation and Preemption of State Rules: The administration, led by the FCC, will evaluate regulations that interfere with the agency's ability to carry out obligations and authorities under the Telecom Act. In addition, the FTC will ensure that its prior investigations do not advance theories of liability and set aside consent decrees and settlements that may burden AI innovation. The Federal government will also withhold federal funding from states that impose AI regulations deemed inconsistent with national innovation priorities. The Plan calls for a review and potential rollback of "burdensome" state-level requirements, but does state that it will not oppose or interfere with the states' rights to pass "prudent laws" that are not unduly restrictive to innovation
- Infrastructure Incentives: The Plan proposes new federal tax credits, fast-tracked site approvals, and relaxed environmental rules for AI data centers and chip foundries.
- Bolster Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity. The administration will establish an AI Information Sharing and Analysis Center (AI_ISAC) led by the Department of Homeland Security to promote the sharing of AI-security threat information and intelligence across US critical infrastructure sectors and work to remediate these threats and vulnerability.
- Promote Secure-By-Design AI Technologies and Applications. The administration will continue to ensure that it promotes AI Assurance to facilitate the resilient and secure AI development and deployment of AI against spurious or malicious inputs. In addition, the administration will promote the development of AI Incident Response actions for the public and private sectors by working with NIST. The administration will also invest in biosecurity screening tools.
- Rollback of Prior Oversight Regimes: The Action Plan formally revokes President Biden's 2023 AI Executive Order, which had emphasized risk-based governance, algorithmic safety, and equity-centered standards.
- Ideological Alignment in AI Development: The Plan proposes revisions to federal guidance documents that currently reference DEI principles, climate considerations, or disinformation safeguards. These references will be stripped, and agencies are directed to "procure and support AI systems that reflect American values of neutrality, liberty, and fairness."
- Public-Private Coordination: The administration will work closely with firms like Nvidia, AMD, OpenAI, and Google to ensure domestic supply chain resilience and incentivize further private sector investment including supporting workforce retraining and AI education.
- Combat Deepfakes. The administration will work closely with courts and law enforcement to overcome the challenges AI may pose to the legal system including the creation of fake evidence that could be used to deny justice.
Implications for Industry
The Action Plan will likely have an immediate impact on:
- AI and Cloud Providers: Deregulation of data center sitting, and expedited permitting may accelerate physical infrastructure development. Providers should prepare for increased demand and federal contracting opportunities.
- AdTech and Content Platforms: The prohibition on ideological bias in procurement could bleed into broader content moderation debates. Companies developing models for government use should expect ideological scrutiny of their training data and outputs.
- Multinational Tech Firms: The Plan's emphasis on exports and foreign investment may open new markets, particularly for U.S. firms previously hindered by China-related restrictions. However, the deregulatory stance may invite tension with the EU and other jurisdictions implementing stricter AI rules.
- Legal and Compliance Teams: The federal rollback of oversight may not preempt litigation risk under state consumer protection laws or international data transfer regimes. Companies must balance deregulatory tailwinds with ongoing privacy, IP, and tort exposure.
Proactive Steps for Businesses
- Evaluate AI systems to determine if modifications need to be made to demonstrate Unbiased AI Principles for federal procurement eligibility
- Monitor FCC and FTC evaluation of state AI regulations
- Audit and eliminate certain Chinese technologies from telecommunications infrastructure
- Implement secure-by-design AI frameworks that detect performance shifts and adversarial attacks
- Participate in the new AI Information Sharing and Analysis Center (AI-ISAC) for threat intelligence
- Prepare for new technical standards for high-security AI data centers serving government clients
- Take advantage of streamlined permitting for data center buildouts
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