White House debates reviving AI executive order after Trump canceled it

In short: The Trump administration is arguing internally about whether to bring back an AI executive order that President Trump canceled just hours before it was set to be signed.

What happened

President Donald Trump called off a planned executive order on AI regulation on May 21, according to WIRED. An executive order is a set of instructions from the president to federal agencies, like a manager sending a company-wide memo.

Since then, officials and AI company leaders have been trying to figure out whether a revised order can be written and signed. Several AI executives told WIRED they are unsure what a new version would require, or whether it will happen at all.

A key disputed idea in the canceled draft was a voluntary system where major AI labs, including OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google, would share new AI models with the White House before releasing them to the public. The goal was to let the government test for cyber security risks, meaning whether the systems could be used to break into computers or find weak spots (like checking a building for unlocked doors). The draft also suggested companies could submit models up to 90 days early, which some executives said might be too far in advance.

Inside the White House, chief of staff Susie Wiles is leading a group pushing to revive the order, along with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross, aides told WIRED. Former AI adviser David Sacks has argued the order would be too burdensome and has publicly warned that regulation could slow innovation.

Why it matters

More powerful AI tools are increasingly treated as a national security issue, especially if they can help find and exploit software weaknesses. Whether the government gets early access to test these systems could affect how quickly safety problems are found, and how much oversight the public can expect.

Source: Wired