Trump’s AI strategy trades guardrails for growth in race against China

The Trump administration released its AI Action Plan, marking a significant departure from the Biden administration’s more cautious stance on AI risks. The new strategy prioritizes rapid AI infrastructure development, deregulation, and national security to compete with China, emphasizing growth over guardrails. Key elements include expanding data centers—even on federal lands and during critical energy grid periods—while downplaying efforts to mitigate AI-related harms. The plan also proposes workforce upskilling and local partnerships to create jobs tied to AI infrastructure, positioning these investments as essential to a “new golden age of human flourishing.” Authored by Trump’s technology and AI experts, many from Silicon Valley, the plan reflects input from over 10,000 public comments but remains a broad blueprint rather than a detailed roadmap. It includes efforts to limit state-level AI regulations by threatening to withhold federal funding and empowering the FCC to challenge state rules that affect communications infrastructure. On the federal level, the administration seeks to identify and remove regulations that impede AI innovation. Dereg