Trump’s AI Action Plan Misses the Mark  

The Trump administration released the AI Action Plan today, which focuses on quick development and adoption of AI while ignoring the numerous well-documented harms to people and the environment that have resulted from an unregulated AI industry.  

The AI Action Plan includes elements of the widely unpopular attempted moratorium on state AI regulation and enforcement, which the Senate recently voted down 99-1. It directs the Office of Management and Budget to work with federal agencies that control AI-related discretionary funding programs to ensure they “consider a state’s AI regulatory climate when making funding decisions and limit funding if the state’s AI regulatory regimes may hinder the effectiveness of that funding or award.” 

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is also directed to review enforcement actions specifically from the Biden administration and set aside any that “unduly burden AI innovation.” The FTC’s role is to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive acts and practices in the marketplace. Interpreted broadly, the mandate in today’s AI Action Plan undermines that authority by placing business interests ahead of consumer protection.  

EPIC has joined more than 90 organizations in calling for a People’s AI Action Plan that focuses on protecting people rather than Big Tech profits. The call for the People’s AI Action Plan builds on EPIC’s years of work to ensure that any development or use of AI is transparent, equitable, and advances the public interest. 

“The AI Action Plan is yet another gift to Big Tech that clearly shows the Trump administration is again placing corporate interests ahead of the needs of everyday Americans,” said Alan Butler, EPIC Executive Director.