Trump Tech Allies Ditch Biden’s Google-First AI Order for ‘America First’ AI Plan

July 17th, 2024 5:47 PM

Trump allies are looking to “Make America First in AI” as the 2024 election season heats up.

Allies of former President and current candidate Donald Trump are already drafting a “sweeping” executive order on artificial intelligence (AI), according to The Washington Post. The Post reported that it reviewed documents showing planned projects that use “industry-led” agencies to evaluate AI models and also provide security from foreign adversaries for systems. “Make America First in AI” is already set to be radically different from the Biden administration’s meddlesome and regulation-heavy attitude toward AI and Silicon Valley.

Dan Schneider, Vice President of MRC Free Speech America, contrasted the proposed Trump order with a Biden administration AI executive order. “Biden's AI order was designed to help a lagging Google to catch up with its more innovative competitors. Biden essentially issued a gag order to his cabinet not to discuss whether and how transparent AI algorithms should be,” Schneider said.

He added, “On one side of this transparency fight are Elon Musk, OpenAI and Facebook, all of which lean towards openness. On the other side are the Chinese companies and Google. They are doing everything in their power to keep us in the dark and easily manipulatable.”

The Post reported that the Trump allies plan “Manhattan Projects” both to develop military tech and also to review “unnecessary and burdensome regulations.” Silicon Valley investors and companies could find a second Trump presidency a boon, which is possibly why an increasing number of them are backing Trump. 

Whereas the Biden administration, for instance, issued an executive order in 2023 using “emergency powers” for safety testing of AI systems, the Trump administration is looking for solutions that rely less on executive power and regulation. The 2024 Republican platform promises AI action, The Post noted. “We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation, and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology,” the GOP platform reads. “In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.” The drafted AI order would seem to be part of this GOP promise.

Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency, clarity on so-called “hate speech” and equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us using MRC Free Speech America’s contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.