After Trump is elected president of the United States, the artificial intelligence industry may face major changes. His campaign promise implies a major adjustment to current artificial intelligence regulatory policies, which will have a profound impact on the development of artificial intelligence in the United States and around the world. Downcodes editors will analyze the Trump administration’s potential policy changes and their impact on the artificial intelligence industry, including regulatory deregulation, the rise of state-level regulation, and the impact of international geopolitics.
Trump’s victory heralds potentially significant changes for the artificial intelligence industry. Trump has repeatedly said he plans to dismantle Biden's AI policy framework on "day one," aligning himself with those who have harshly criticized regulators for all but the lightest regulations.
Biden's artificial intelligence policy takes effect through the executive order "Artificial Intelligence Executive Order" passed in October 2023. The order covers everything from promoting the development of artificial intelligence in health care to developing guidelines aimed at reducing the risk of intellectual property theft.
But Trump allies criticized the order's reporting requirements as being onerous and effectively forcing companies to disclose their trade secrets. They also equate NIST's work on artificial intelligence with censorship of conservative speech.
Trump pledged to develop policies for "artificial intelligence development grounded in free speech and human flourishing," but declined to give details. Some Republicans have said they want NIST to focus on the physical security risks of artificial intelligence, including its ability to help adversaries create biological weapons.
A Trump victory could herald a looser regulatory regime — one that would rely on the application of existing laws rather than the creation of new ones. However, it could encourage state governments, especially Democratic strongholds like California, to try to fill the void.
State-led efforts are well underway. In March, Tennessee passed a law protecting voice actors from artificial intelligence cloning. This summer, Colorado took a layered, risk-based approach to AI deployment. In September, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed dozens of AI-related safety bills, some of which require companies to release details about their AI training.
This year alone, national policymakers have proposed nearly 700 pieces of AI legislation. Trump’s protectionist policies may have implications for AI regulation. He expects the Trump administration to impose stricter export controls on China, including on technology needed to develop artificial intelligence.
Previously, the Biden administration has issued multiple export bans on artificial intelligence chips and models. But some Chinese companies are reportedly exploiting vulnerabilities to access these tools through cloud services.
“While the current situation calls for greater global cooperation, new controls will lead to more authoritarian and oppressive uses of AI around the world,” Ekbia said. “This will have huge political and geopolitical implications, leading to more authoritarian and oppressive uses of AI around the world.”
In addition, Sandra Wachter, professor of data ethics at the Oxford Internet Institute, called on regulators, regardless of their political affiliation, not to ignore the opportunities and dangers posed by artificial intelligence.
"No matter where you are on the political spectrum, these risks exist," she said. “These harms do not respect geography or party lines. I can only hope that AI governance does not become a partisan issue – it is an issue that affects us all, everywhere. We must all work together to find good Global Solutions.”
All in all, the direction of artificial intelligence policy under Trump’s administration is full of uncertainty, and its impact will be felt around the world. The relaxation of supervision and the strengthening of state-level supervision coexist, and the game of international geopolitics will also profoundly affect the development and application of artificial intelligence technology. The future direction of the field of artificial intelligence requires continued attention and careful response.