Trump Postpones AI Executive Order Over Competitiveness Concerns

President Donald Trump postponed signing an executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) on Thursday, citing concerns that it could impede U.S. competitiveness against China in the development and advancement of AI technologies.

According to CBS News, Trump stated he delayed the signing because he did not like certain aspects of the order. He told reporters, 'Because I didn't like what I was seeing,' adding that he wants the U.S. to remain as competitive as possible in AI development.

The executive order was expected to create a voluntary framework for AI developers to engage with the federal government before releasing advanced models and promote the use of AI tools, per Reuters. Trump did not specify which parts of the order he objected to.

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the decision to hold off on the order was based on concerns about U.S. competitiveness with China in the crucial technological race. 'I didn't like certain aspects of it, I postponed it,' he said. 'I think it gets in the way of, you know, we're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that lead.' The president asserted the United States has 'a very substantial standard on AI, it's causing -- it's causing tremendous good, and it's also bringing in a lot of jobs, tremendous numbers of jobs.' But government review of new AI models, he added, 'could have been a blocker.'

The measure was drafted to enhance security measures for the latest AI models, which was to be provided by a group of national security and civilian agencies. Sources told POLITICO that the latest draft of the order asked developers to submit certain types of AI models for review as much as 90 days before they're made public.

Leaders of major AI developers such as OpenAI, Google, Anthropic, Meta, and Microsoft were invited to attend the planned White House event just 24 hours before it was scheduled, resulting in cancelations that annoyed Trump. The oversight measure reverses a 'hands-off' policy toward AI previously embraced by the Trump administration and comes from fears the technology is becoming too powerful and could pose a U.S. security risk.

Concerns about cybersecurity risks posed by powerful new AI systems like Anthropic's Mythos are growing across the U.S. government and private sector. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and outgoing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell convened an urgent meeting with Wall Street CEOs in April to discuss these risks, as reported by PBS.

The Trump administration is also planning a new program to entice foreign firms to buy U.S. AI tools with billions in export financing, according to a document seen by Reuters.