US President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed three sweeping executive orders aimed at reshaping America’s artificial intelligence landscape, most notably taking direct aim at what the White House described as “woke” AI models.
The orders are part of Trump’s broader campaign against diversity initiatives and come as he pledges to make the US an “AI export powerhouse”.
Speaking at an AI summit in Washington, he said that the world is now, whether we like it or not, in a rapid race to develop and shape a revolutionary technology, one that will play a defining role in the future of civilisation, thanks to the brilliance and creativity coming out of Silicon Valley.
"America is the country that started the AI race and as president of the United States, I am here today to declare that America is going to win it."
"We are going to work hard. We are going to win it," Trump said.
He added that the US will not allow any other nation to beat it and "children will now live on a planet controlled by the algorithms."
The executive orders include, acrackdown on so-called “woke” AI, streamlining federal permits for datacentre infrastructure and directive to boost American AI exports.
These actions were unveiled alongside a 24-page “AI Action Plan”, titled Winning the Race, which outlines the administration’s roadmap for accelerating AI adoption across federal agencies and cementing US leadership in the field.
The document replaces a previous Biden-era executive order that had introduced regulatory standards and safeguards for AI, as per The Guardian.
“Winning this competition will be a test of our capacities unlike anything since the dawn of the space age,” Trump said, urging American tech companies to “put America first”.
However, what counts as political bias in AI is still unclear and debated, which has raised concerns that the government might use these new powers to unfairly go after certain companies.
The Trump also suggested rebranding the very name of the technology. “I don’t even like the name, you know? I don’t like anything that’s artificial. So could we straighten that out, please? We should change the name. I actually mean that,” he said. “It’s not artificial. It’s genius.”
At the summit, he declared, “The American people do not want woke Marxist lunacy in the AI models, and neither do other countries.”
A second executive order focuses on deregulating AI development and accelerating the construction of datacentres, often massive, resource-intensive facilities that power AI models. This includes rolling back environmental protections that might obstruct such projects, The Guardian reported.
While datacentres are essential for hosting AI infrastructure, they consume vast amounts of energy and water and are major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Environmental groups have raised alarms over rising air and noise pollution, and some communities have resisted the expansion of these facilities in their neighbourhoods.
Despite this, Trump’s order supports long-standing demands from tech firms to ease permitting laws and ramp up energy infrastructure. It also frames AI development as a matter of geopolitical urgency, pointing to China’s heavy investments in AI chips and datacentres. Companies like Deepseek have emerged as formidable challengers to Silicon Valley’s dominance.
The administration’s offensive against “woke” AI reflects deeper ideological tensions. Conservatives have increasingly shifted their criticism from social media moderation to generative AI tools, accusing them of suppressing right-wing viewpoints.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang also lauded the order, citing the advantage of having Donald Trump as the president.
"America’s unique advantage that no other country can possibly have is President Trump," television host Ed Ludlow quoted Huang. The tweet was later shared by the US president.
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