Photo illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Photo: Win McNamee/Bloomberg via Getty Images
President Trump is expected to release another round of executive orders and actions in the coming months that will shape how the administration is approaching AI — including actions targeting global exports and DeepSeek.
Why it matters: Ahead of the Trump AI Action plan expected to be released this summer, key executive orders and other signals from the administration will define how Trump will diverge from former President Biden on AI policy.
- It's happening as Congress struggles to get any major AI bills over the finish line.
- Tech and AI-related orders continue to go through revisions as industry groups weigh in and push for their interests, and some planned EOs may take the form of tweaks to existing rules instead, sources tell Axios.
What we're watching:
1) Global export control regime
Trump is likely to scrap and replace Biden's AI "diffusion rule," which deals with how U.S. tech companies can export their high-value tech and prevent adversaries — mainly China — from accessing it.
- There are mixed proposals and drafts circulating in various agencies, sources familiar said.
- The Biden rule creates a licensing regime for exporting advanced AI chips and divides the world into tiers. Allies and adversaries fall into different tiers and, depending on where you land, you face more or fewer export restrictions.
- Proposals being considered vary from scrapping country export caps and tiers all together to pushing a country to a more restrictive tier if China is still gaining access to the tech in that country.
What they're saying: Republican senators are urging Trump to rescind Biden's AI diffusion rule and propose an alternative before it's too late, arguing the rule as it stands puts too complex restrictions on purchasing U.S. technology abroad.
- "Every day this rule remains in place, American companies face mounting uncertainty, stalled investments, and the risk of losing critical global partnerships that cannot be easily regained," Sens. Markwayne Mullin, Ted Budd, Roger Wicker and Eric Schmitt wrote in a letter last week to Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
- Outside groups and companies can submit comments to the government until May 15.
2) DeepSeek
This EO is likely to ban the Chinese chatbot on government devices, per sources familiar, which is an easier lift than banning app stores from carrying the technology altogether.
- Per the New York Times, White House and Commerce officials were briefed recently on national security risks from DeepSeek, and are considering barring Americans from using it and allowing DeepSeek to buy U.S. technology.
- The lack of a new TikTok deal is holding the release of these actions back as well, since any ban on PRC-developed technology would include the app.
3) Cloud computing
A "know your customer" requirement EO would impact how cloud computing companies do business abroad, requiring them to report back to the government if a foreign customer is using a certain amount of compute power, per sources familiar.
4) Copyright
AI companies have made it clear they want wide latitude to train on copyrighted material via public comments and filings to the White House.
- Groups fighting to keep strong copyright and IP protection are waiting to see what the administration will do on copyright and AI, expecting the upcoming Action Plan to address their stance more fully.
- Two sources familiar with the matter said they're waiting to see if the Justice Department signals anything on copyright and AI via possible involvement in ongoing civil cases or releasing guidance broadly on the topic.
- "The copyright industries have been a huge success and dominant for many years. There is no reason we can't dominate in both that and AI," Keith Kupferschmid, CEO of the Copyright Alliance, told Axios.
What to watch: OSTP director Michael Kratsios hinted at some of the EOs this week in remarks at the Endless Frontiers conference in Austin, Texas.
- "Strict and simple export controls and know your customer rules, with an unapologetic America-first attitude about enforcing them, are central to stopping China from continuing to build itself up at our expense," he said.
- The White House declined further comment on any upcoming executive action plans.
