Trump's Executive Order Revokes Biden's Artificial Intelligence Framework
One of Trump's first actions on the day of his inauguration was to undo much of the work done by his predecessor.
During a rally following the inauguration ceremony, President Trump had a desk brought to the stage where he signed several executive orders. The first one of the night addressed 78 orders issued by the Biden administration, including the guidelines from October 2023 regarding artificial intelligence. The document states that "the revocations within this order will be the first of many steps that the Federal Government of the United States will take to repair our institutions and our economy." No explanation is given for the selections; instead, a long list is simply presented with the introduction, "the following actions are hereby revoked." Some of these actions were related to the ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic, while others touched on issues of immigration, climate change, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Biden's executive order had established an ambitious plan to create protections for the general public and best practices for the federal government regarding artificial intelligence. More specifically, the order sought new safety and security standards, along with protocols for watermarking in artificial intelligence, as well as safeguards for civil rights and consumer protection. Additionally, it proposed strategies to mitigate the impact of AI use on workers and launched a new federal job portal in search of "more talent in artificial intelligence."
In separate executive orders on Monday, Trump also withdrew the United States from the Paris climate agreement for a second time. This action had been taken previously during his first term, but Biden restored the United States' participation upon taking office.
