Trump signs watered-down AI order, delays rules
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- Trump signed a narrowed executive order on AI and cybersecurity Tuesday, more than a week after canceling a stricter version he said could hurt American competitiveness.
- The order stops short of compelling AI companies to share information about their latest models, instead requiring national security agencies to build a "cybersecurity clearinghouse" to assess advanced AI cyber capabilities.
- Within 60 days, the Treasury Department, NSA, CISA, NIST, and White House officials must develop a classified benchmarking process to determine when a model qualifies as a "covered frontier model."
- Former White House AI czar David Sacks and NEC deputy director Ryan Baasch inserted language barring any mandatory government licensing of AI models; Sacks also won a shorter 30-day pre-deployment testing window and a voluntary rather than mandatory framework.
- Sacks' involvement preceded the cancellation of the earlier, stricter order, and he, White House staff, and Trump discussed the final version Monday.
Why it matters: AI companies face no binding disclosure requirements for frontier models, even as the order acknowledges those models create "new national security considerations." The 30-day testing cap and explicit bar on mandatory licensing tilt the balance toward industry flexibility over regulatory oversight, leaving Washington with limited tools to track cybersecurity risks in advanced systems like the "Mythos" model.
