Trump is already trying to put his stamp on AI

In one of his first actions as president, Donald Trump revoked a sweeping executive order from the Biden era that sought to implement safeguards on artificial intelligence. It was a sign that Trump wants to put his own stamp on how the United States should adopt and develop the fast-moving, critical technology – and perhaps an indication that AI would be a big theme in Trump’s second term.

In one of his first actions as president, Donald Trump revoked a sweeping executive order from the Biden era that sought to implement safeguards on artificial intelligence. It was a sign that Trump wants to put his own stamp on how the United States should adopt and develop the fast-moving, critical technology – and perhaps an indication that AI would be a big theme in Trump’s second term. So far, that’s materialized in public displays of US computing power such as Stargate, the new $500 billion AI company helmed by a supergroup of Silicon Valley bigwigs. But it’s also resulted in controversies that raise questions about the ethics of how AI should be used and regulated. The latest move came on Monday when Apple said it’s investing more than $500 billion to expand its footprint in the United States, which includes opening a new Texas facility to build servers for its suite of artificial intelligence features. On the surface, AI might seem like a small part of that announcement. But it’s a commitment by Apple to root what is expected to be a core part of its products in the United States, giving those future US-made servers a great deal of importance. Despite the president’s claims to the contrary, Apple’s expansion likely has little do with Trump’s influence: It’s not the first time the iPhone maker has committed to investing billions to expand in the United States and create new jobs. Plus, the investment aligns with what a company of Apple’s size is expected to spend based on its revenue, as The Wall Street Journal first pointed out. But it’s still happening in a political and economic climate that Trump is steering – one that AI is already shaping up to be a big part of. Trump kicked off his term with the announcement of Stargate on January 21, just one day after his inauguration. The massive new AI infrastructure company, led by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Softbank CEO Masayoshi Son and Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison, will build “the physical and virtual infrastructure to power the next generation of AI.” Altman called it “the most important project of this era.”