If Donald Trump is successful in his bid for the US presidency it could significantly impact the country’s policies on AI development.
A group of Trump allies is preparing a framework that Trump could issue as an executive order which would see a rollback of the Biden administration’s AI regulations.
The “Make America First in AI” policy document initially reported by The Washington Post calls for “industry-led” agencies to monitor AI models and keep them out of the hands of the country’s adversaries.
The AI policy aims to launch a series of “Manhattan Projects” to promote US defense spending on AI tech.
If enacted, the policy would be a welcome relief to Silicon Valley which is feeling the burden of AI development regulations that came into effect last October when Biden issued his executive order on AI.
That policy sought to address perceived AI threats to civil rights, privacy, and national security and called on federal agencies to regulate AI.
The GOP platform says, “We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology. In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.”
That may be alarming for those concerned with AI safety, but it’s good news for Big Tech AI developers. Defense tech companies like Palantir and Anduril will hope this hawkish policy advances the Pentagon’s adoption of AI into its arsenal.
Anduril is pitching its AI-piloted jets to the Pentagon and Palantir CEO Alex Karp previously said the US should make AI weapons despite potential risks.
Karp said, “Our adversaries will not pause to indulge in theatrical debates about the merits of developing technologies with critical military and national security applications. They will proceed.”
Silicon Valley execs are shifting their support to Trump as he and his allies talk up the need for deregulation of the tech sector. His choice of former tech venture capitalist JD Vance as his running mate is also a signal of intent to the tech community.
Big names in the tech sector like Elon Musk, Bill Ackman, and Peter Thiel have all become vocal in their support of Trump and Vance.
If Trump is elected and the “Make America First in AI” executive order is passed, 2025 could see AI development go full steam ahead with fewer bureaucratic guardrails as the industry shapes AI policy.
