Trump orders review of Biden admin’s AI work, creation of new AI action plan

An executive order signed by President Donald Trump on Thursday mandates a review of agency activities stemming from the Biden administration’s now-revoked EO on artificial intelligence and calls for the creation of a new plan of action. The brief order establishes that it is the policy of the U.S. “to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” It sets in motion steps for the new administration as it looks to craft its own approach to the growing technology. President Joe Biden’s order (EO 14110), which was among the first items Trump revoked after returning to the White House, had been focused on using the technology while also managing its safety and security risks. But Trump and Republicans took issue with it, saying it would hinder AI development. The Republican party platform called it “dangerous.” Defense leaders are weighing their options to deploy various types of military drones on the U.S.-Mexico border for information-collecting and surveillance operations in support of the Trump administration’s move to rapidly expand troop presence there, a senior military official told reporters Wednesday. “A lot of the ground units now have tactical [unmanned aerial systems, or UAS] that they might bring in,” the official said during an off-camera briefing at the Pentagon. On the condition of anonymity, they and another top defense official took questions from the media regarding the Defense Department’s first official statement about how its components plan to rapidly respond to President Donald Trump’s executive mandates to tighten security at America’s southern border with the support of the U.S. military.