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Donald Trump signs executive order on developing artificial intelligence ‘free from ideological bias’
Trump's new executive order revokes Biden's order which scrutinizes new AI developments to ensure there is no discrimination based on race, gender or disability
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday, stating artificial intelligence (AI) systems must be developed “that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas”, news agency Associated Press reported.
This order will also track and review “all policies, directives, regulations, orders, and other actions taken” due to former President Joe Biden's sweeping AI executive order of 2023, which Trump has now revoked.
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Joe Biden's order required tech companies developing AI models to disclose the details of their collaborations with the government before releasing them. US federal agencies must also either show that their AI tools aren't harming the public, or they should stop using them. This included curbing government use of AI tools found to discriminate based on race, gender or disability.
Examples include medical diagnosis chatbots spouting false information to face recognition technology tied to wrongful arrests of Black men, the report read.
Trump's order, on the other hand, states the previous policies “established unnecessarily burdensome requirements for companies developing and deploying AI that would stifle private sector innovation and threaten American technological leadership.”
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One major piece that remained — until Trump rescinded it Monday — was a requirement that tech companies building the most powerful AI models share details with the government about the workings of those systems before they are unleashed to the public.
As a result, it now changes how agencies acquire AI tools and use them.
Trump's order is also in line with ideas recommended by close adviser Elon Musk, who warned against the dangers of what he calls “woke AI” which reflects liberal biases, according to the report.
Trump's order also calls for the development of an AI action plan within 180 days, according to the report. This will be led by a small group of White House tech and science officials, which includes a new Special Advisor for AI and Crypto.
Trump gave that role to venture capitalist and former PayPal executive David Sacks.
The order has received some negative views. For instance, Alondra Nelson, the former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under Biden, said Trump’s order seemed “backward looking,” according to the report.
This is because the Biden administration’s AI policies were aimed at protecting both innovation and the public, she added.
