Trump's AI plans include a time bomb for tech companies

The Trump administration's new AI Action Plan, which offers the industry much of what it says it needs to compete with China, also contains a time bomb for tech companies — an attempt to dictate how chatbots deal with contentious political issues.The big picture: Trump's move could be the first of many long-feared efforts by governments around the world to require AI systems to toe political lines, setting up endless conflicts between tech firms and rulers eager to promote agendas and quash dissent.Zoom in: The plan — and a related executive order on "Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government" — insists that any AI model procured by a federal agency must promote "ideological neutrality."The requirement poses thorny technical challenges and raises questions about who decides what counts as an acceptable answer. While the executive order on AI model neutrality calls for large language models "that prioritize historical accuracy, scientific inquiry, and objectivity," it also singles out "DEI" as an example of "ideological dogma." And it follows an effort by the Missouri attorney general to crack down on chatbots that post results critical of Trump."Demanding that developers refrain from 'ideological bias' or be 'neutral' in their models is an impossible, vague standard that the Administration will be able to weaponize for its own ideological ends," the Center for Democracy and Technology said.Zoom out: Most of the 23-page Action Plan gives a green light to the tech industry, focusing on accelerating AI innovation rather than addressing concerns such as model safety, environmental risks and the potential for wealth concentration and job loss.Its release follows a period of public comment after the cancellation of a Biden-era policy that focused on risks.Trump also signed a trio of executive orders designed to support the plan with concrete action, including one focused on speeding up the federal permitting process for new power plants and data centers and another that aimed at promoting the export of American technology.Trump's signing of the orders followed a long speech at an event hosted by the All-In podcast and the Hill & Valley Forum. During the speech, Trump called for doing "whatever it takes" to win the AI race, while also touching on everything from President Biden's use of an autopen to Ukraine to the participation of transgender athletes in women's sports.Attendees of the event included Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Advanced Micro Devices CEO Lisa Su, along with Vice President JD Vance, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.Between the lines: In the speech, Trump also touched on two other issues that are at the top of the industry's wish list, but not directly addressed in the Action Plan.On the pre-emption of state laws regulating AI, Trump said "we need to have a single federal standard, not 50 states," regulating AI, telling the tech executives in the audience: "We can't have a state with standards so high that it is going to hold you up."Trump also nodded to the industry's desire to train AI systems on copyrighted content without having to get permission from or compensate content creators.Axios Tech Policy is covering every twist and turn in the White House and Congress' efforts to regulate AI. Get it in your inbox.

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