Trump Delays Signing AI Executive Order, US-China Competition and Regulatory Trade-offs Emerge

Former US President Donald Trump stated today that he has postponed signing an artificial intelligence (AI) related executive order, explaining his dissatisfaction with some of its content and his unwillingness to take any action that might weaken the United States' leading edge over China in AI competition. Trump was originally scheduled to sign the order this afternoon at a ceremony witnessed by several AI company CEOs. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, he said, 'I think this would hold us back. We are leading China, and we are leading everyone, and I don't want to do anything that would weaken that lead.' Two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters that the executive order would establish a voluntary framework for AI developers to provide advanced models to the US government for review before public release. Trump did not specify which parts he opposed. Tech industry supporters are concerned that if new regulations slow down the launch of new models or force companies to change model performance due to security concerns, it could harm industry profits. According to other sources, the president also planned to instruct the US government to use these advanced AI models to strengthen cybersecurity defenses in government systems and extend to industries critical to the national economy, such as banking and hospitals. There is growing concern among the US government and private sector about the cybersecurity risks posed by new powerful AI systems, including Anthropic's Mythos model. Anthropic had warned that the model could enhance sophisticated cyberattack capabilities, but cybersecurity experts told Reuters that fears of 'runaway hacker risks' might be overstated. Since Trump regained power, he has taken a more lenient stance on regulating large tech companies compared to the previous administration, despite the rise of AI and its growing influence on the US stock market. However, some Trump supporters still call for government limits on this technology.