Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
President Trump's executive order action on Monday could crash into tech policy work across agencies and usher in a new approach.
Why it matters: There are programs and regulatory efforts underway that were started under the Biden administration and now have an uncertain future.
Here's what's on our radar.
Trump on Monday rescinded Biden's AI executive order, but his administration hasn't offered a new approach.
- During his first term, Trump pursued similar policies to Biden's in two different AI executive orders, so he could build on it.
- Much of the Biden EO is already implemented across agencies. They were directed to research and report on AI, as well as to develop guidance for how to use it. It's unclear what Trump will have agencies do with this work.
- Chief AI officers called for in the Biden EO could be caught in the crosshairs as Trump is laser focused on the federal workforce.
Companies are now looking to shape a new approach.
- Smaller AI companies, represented by a16z, have made inroads with the Trump administration after feeling like they didn't push their agenda hard enough with Biden's EO.
- a16z hasn't specified a policy vehicle for their priorities, but a new EO could be an opportunity to pursue the Little Tech agenda, which includes ensuring developers can offer and use open-source models.
- They also took issue with the Biden EO using compute threshold to regulate AI development, rather than focusing on harmful uses, as that approach would make it hard for smaller companies to compete with large platforms.
What they're saying: Scale AI CEO Alexandr Wang in a letter to Trump and congressional leaders Tuesday said frontier AI models should be tested, and the White House should have agencies determine where existing regulations apply and where new ones are needed.
- BSA senior vice president of global policy Aaron Cooper said Trump should emphasize a national R&D strategy and build an AI workforce.
The other side: Alondra Nelson, who helped craft the AI EO under Biden, said Trump's moves will leave Americans exposed to the technology's harms.
- "A politically-motivated repeal with no thoughtful replacement is self-defeating for our country and dangerous for our people and the world."
An executive order to freeze regulations could impact Biden-era export control moves.
- The executive order tells agencies to consider delaying by 60 days or more rules that have been published in the Federal Register.
- A global export control regime that already had a 120-day comment period could be targeted as some companies already have taken issue with it.
Trump signed another executive order that directs the Council on Environmental Quality chair to come up with a better way to implement National Environmental Policy Act permitting.
- The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment Program includes NEPA requirements, and is ripe for pushback as Republicans on the Hill have decried burdensome red tape for entities trying to deploy internet access.
- The Biden administration had called for NEPA streamlining in an executive order that was not rescinded Monday.
Trump's TikTok executive order, which directs the attorney general not to enforce a ban for 75 days and make clear to U.S. companies that they won't be penalized, rests on murky legal grounds.
- Google and Apple still have not put TikTok back on the app stores as of Tuesday.
- On the Hill, lawmakers are attempting to provide more legal certainty, but face an uphill battle.
- Rep. Ro Khanna and Sen. Rand Paul on Monday introduced a bill to repeal the TikTok sale-or-ban law.
