America's AI Action Plan and Federal AI Policy

The United States has no comprehensive AI law, so federal policy has been set mainly by executive orders. In October 2023 President Biden issued an order requiring developers of the most powerful models to share safety test results with the government and directing agencies to write rules on AI risks. On January 23, 2025, President Trump revoked it and ordered a new plan focused on keeping American AI dominant.

The resulting plan, Winning the AI Race: America's AI Action Plan, released July 23, 2025, listed about 90 actions in three areas: speeding innovation by removing regulatory barriers, building infrastructure such as data centers, power plants, and chip factories, and promoting American AI abroad through exports to allies. Orders signed the same day sped permits for data centers, promoted exports of full American AI technology packages, and barred federal agencies from buying chatbots that are not ideologically neutral. A November 2025 order launched the Genesis Mission to use AI in federal science.

A December 2025 order directed the Justice Department to challenge state AI laws seen as burdensome and conditioned some federal grants on states avoiding them. Supporters say a light-touch national approach will help the United States beat China and avoid a patchwork of state rules. Critics say it sidelines safety, civil rights, and consumer protections, and that only Congress can override state laws. Federal agencies still apply existing laws on fraud, discrimination, and product safety to AI.