Trump AI

We started it. We'll win it.

President Donald J. Trump's approach to artificial intelligence is shaped by four major themes: American dominance, deregulation, infrastructure build-out, and ideological neutrality of AI systems. His remarks and policy pronouncements suggest he views AI as a strategic asset in global competition, especially versus China, more than as solely a risk to society.

Trump's philosophy treats AI as a domain of national power, with America needing to dominate, especially in relation to China. He emphasizes less regulation, massive infrastructure build-out, and ideologically neutral AI systems as key. He envisions the U.S. as the inventor of AI's next era and intends to ensure it stays that way.

In 2019, President Donald J. Trump signed the first-ever executive order on AI, which aimed to maintain America's leadership in artificial intelligence. This order was part of a broader effort to remove barriers to American AI innovation and enhance the country's global AI dominance. The executive order called for the establishment of an AI Action Plan to sustain and enhance America's AI dominance.

Below is a summary of some key elements of his AI philosophy:

As a national race and strategic asset, Trump has repeatedly framed AI as the next frontier of U.S. global dominance. He said, "From this day forward, it will be a policy of the United States to do whatever it takes to lead the world in artificial intelligence." His focus is on maintaining U.S. leadership, not just in commerce, but also in defense and innovation.

Trump supports deregulation and unleashing innovation. Trump argues that generative AI and frontier AI must not be hindered by what he calls "foolish rules or even stupid rules." His AI Action Plan emphasizes infrastructure (data centers, chips, energy) rather than heavy regulatory regimes.

On copyright and training data, he said "You can't be expected to have a successful AI program when every single article, book or anything else that you've read or studied, you're supposed to pay for."

This is a nation that invented the light bulb, the telegraph, the television, the telephone, the computer chip, the smartphone, the GPS, the integrated circuit, and even the internet...And now we're going to take it to a new level. But Americans were the first to fly a plane, first to harness the atom, and first to plant our flag on the moon. We mastered the Industrial Age, we created the Digital Age, and now we are leading the world into the golden age, indeed, the golden age of America. With your help, that golden age will be built by American workers. It will be powered by American energy. It will be run on American technology, improved by American artificial intelligence. And it will make America richer, stronger, greater, freer, and more powerful than ever before.

President Trump

Trump supports ideological neutral, bias-free AI systems. Trump places strong emphasis on ensuring AI systems are "free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas." He has explicitly criticized diversity, equity and inclusion efforts in AI models and government AI deployment, arguing they risk undermining truth in AI systems.

Trump advocates a single federal standard with a centralised control of regulation. His plan proposes that states with burdensome AI laws may have reduced federal funding. He said, "We need one common-sense federal standard that supersedes all states." He views a patchwork of state laws as a barrier to U.S. competitiveness in AI.

His view of the competition with China has a national security focus. Trump frequently links AI leadership to American security and global leadership. He emphasized, "We will not allow any foreign nation to beat us." The philosophy positions AI infrastructure (chips, data, compute) as part of a broader technological arms-race dynamics.

Learn more about the AI philosophy in the AI in America book chapter on AI Governance

Implications of the Philosophy

Pros

Accelerated development: prioritizing infrastructure and deregulation can spur faster innovation in AI.
Economic focus: emphasising domestic technology means job creation, chip manufacturing, data-center build-out in America.
National leadership: defining AI as strategic ensures resources and attention can be mobilized at scale.

Cons / Risks

Reduced oversight: deregulation may increase risks of misuse, bias, unsafe systems, or concentration of power.
Export restrictions plus centralized standards may prompt a technology rivalry with a global fragmentation of AI ecosystems.
Neglect of broader societal concerns: focusing less on ethics may leave society vulnerable to adverse AI impacts.

Links

President Trump's Executive Orders include:

Executive Order 14179 is titled "Removing Barriers to American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence"

Executive Orders signed on 23 July 2025:

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