President Donald Trump has postponed signing a major AI executive order. He pulled the order just hours before the scheduled signing ceremony, citing concerns over American competitiveness. The announcement was made on Thursday that he had delayed the signing because he was unhappy with parts of the order.
Donald Trump makes a decision on AI order
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Donald Trump was direct about his reasoning. “I didn’t like certain aspects of it,” he said. “I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” he added, referring to America’s position ahead of China and other nations in the AI race.
Trump also defended the broader potential of the technology, saying AI is “causing tremendous good.” He expressed concern that the executive order “could have been a blocker” — a clear signal that his administration’s pro-growth stance on AI remains firm.
According to The New York Times, the AI order would have empowered the U.S. government to pre-evaluate AI models for security vulnerabilities before their public release. Now, the delay leaves the question open of when or whether the order will be signed. Those who had been pushing for AI regulation in Washington were relieved that the White House was finally going to move on AI and cybersecurity safety, and now it is unclear when that will happen.
The Trump administration has largely embraced AI. It has backed industry leaders’ calls to prevent states from setting their own AI rules. At the same time, the federal Center for AI Standards and Innovation recently announced agreements with Google DeepMind, Microsoft, and Elon Musk’s xAI to evaluate AI models before they go public. A sign that some degree of oversight remains on the table.
Tech giants continue to pour massive investment into the AI sector, driving stock market growth even as global economic uncertainty persists. For now, the White House’s next move on AI policy remains to be seen.
Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on Mandatory.com.
