The President of the United States, Donald Trump, has signed a new executive order on artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity that redefines the White House's strategy in one of the most sensitive technological sectors at the moment.
As the American news portal Axios has reported, the text adopts a more limited approach than previous versions and postpones key decisions on the regulation of the most advanced AI models.
The measure comes just a week after Trump halted the publication of a more ambitious draft, considering that some of its demands could harm the technological competitiveness of the United States compared to other countries.
More Cybersecurity and Less Immediate Regulation
The new executive order focuses on national security and the risks arising from the increasingly advanced capabilities of artificial intelligence.
The text establishes that several federal agencies must strengthen their cybersecurity capabilities and collaborate in the creation of a new coordination system known as a "cybersecurity information sharing center."
In addition, the Department of the Treasury, the NSA, CISA, the NIST, and White House officials will have 60 days to develop a classified procedure to assess the cybersecurity capabilities of the most advanced AI models.
The objective will be to determine when a tool should be considered a "frontier model," a category reserved for systems with particularly powerful capabilities and potential impact on national security.
Trump Avoids Imposing Mandatory AI Licenses
One of the most notable aspects of the order is that it discards, at least for now, the creation of mandatory government authorization systems for developing or distributing artificial intelligence models.
According to Axios, businessman and technology advisor David Sacks and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Ryan Baasch, pushed for a clause that prevents the rule from being interpreted as authorization to implement licenses, prior permits, or mandatory state approval mechanisms for companies in the sector.
This decision signals support for technology companies that have warned about the risk that excessive regulation could hinder American innovation.
The White House Buys Time
The new executive order also reflects the lack of consensus within the Administration itself on how to regulate the most advanced artificial intelligence.
According to Axios, negotiations continued until the final hours before the signing and the final text represents a compromise that allows the White House to buy time while it studies future measures.
The Trump Administration maintains that AI strengthens the United States, but acknowledges that it also generates new national security challenges that require a coordinated response among agencies and ongoing collaboration with the technology industry.
For the moment, Washington opts to strengthen surveillance and risk assessment, leaving the decision on deeper regulation of next-generation artificial intelligence systems for later.