President Trump on Wednesday postponed signing a planned executive order that would have established a voluntary federal review process for artificial intelligence models, telling reporters at the White House that he “didn’t like certain aspects of it” and feared it could undermine America’s competitive edge over China.
The order, which was scheduled for signing on May 21, would have allowed AI developers to voluntarily submit models for government evaluation up to 90 days before public release. A group of national security and civilian agencies would have conducted the reviews, according to earlier reporting by Politico, which first detailed the draft order’s provisions.
“I think it gets in the way of, you know, we’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump said, according to UPI. He added that government review “could have been a blocker.” The White House did not indicate when — or whether — the signing would be rescheduled.
The postponement creates an unusual policy vacuum. The administration has made AI development a top priority, with Trump last year signing executive orders directing federal agencies to develop an “action plan” for AI advancement and challenging state laws that regulate the technology. A national policy framework released by the White House called on Congress to support safe AI deployment. The shelved order would have been the first concrete federal mechanism for pre-release review of AI models.
The delay arrives at a particularly sensitive moment in the global AI governance competition. A new analysis published Wednesday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace documents a strategic pivot by Beijing from exporting AI infrastructure and technical standards toward a broader campaign to reshape global AI governance norms and institutions. Chinese Premier Li Qiang unveiled a “Global AI Governance Action Plan” and proposed a world AI cooperation organization at a Shanghai summit last year, the Carnegie researchers noted, and Washington’s withdrawal from international AI standards-setting processes has given Beijing additional room to advance its state-centric governance model.
Separately, the Computer & Communications Industry Association filed comments this week urging the FTC and DOJ to preserve safe harbors for AI-based collaboration among competitors — a sign that the industry is closely watching how any regulatory framework ultimately takes shape.
AI development has been a rare area of bipartisan attention in Washington, but the contours of federal oversight remain contested. Whether the executive order is dead or merely delayed will be a critical signal for the technology sector and for America’s positioning in the international AI governance race.