U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly postponed signing an "AI executive order" that would require corporations to work with the government before releasing cutting-edge artificial intelligence (AI) models.
According to U.S. media on the 21st, Trump had been scheduled to sign executive orders on AI and cybersecurity that day.
However, at a White House event that afternoon, Trump said he would delay the signing, saying, "I don't like parts of the executive order." He added, "I want the United States to continue to maintain its AI competitiveness."
When asked by reporters about the reason for the delay, Trump said, "I didn't like certain parts." He stressed, "We are ahead of China as well as every other country, and I don't want to do anything that could interfere with that lead."
Trump also said AI is bringing "tremendous benefits" and contributing to job creation in the United States. He added, "I thought this executive order could actually be an obstacle, and I wanted to make sure that doesn't happen."
Trump did not specify which provisions he believed could burden U.S. AI competitiveness.
According to a source cited by CBS, the draft executive order included establishing a voluntary framework for AI developers to work with the federal government when releasing new AI models. It also reportedly included giving the government pre-release access to certain technologies before they are made public.
Reuters reported that a plan was under consideration to have corporations provide the government with models 90 days before unveiling new AI models, and to grant pre-release access to key infrastructure corporations such as banks.