Trump Scraps AI Model Vetting Order: How Big Tech Beat Regulation

US President Donald Trump cancelled, at the last moment, a planned executive order that would have required safety checks of new AI models before their release to the market. American tech companies now have practically full freedom to develop new artificial intelligence systems without government oversight.

A green light from the president

The long-awaited executive order was scheduled to be signed on Thursday. It would have contained the first major attempt by the American state to introduce minimal AI regulation. The document would have required the government to run a mandatory safety check on every new AI model before its official market release. It would have been a serious regulatory milestone in US technology policy.

However, a few hours before the signing ceremony, Trump abruptly scrapped the plan. Speaking to journalists on Thursday, the president explained his decision with two key arguments: the need to preserve American dominance in AI and fierce competition with China in the global market. According to Trump, the US government should not slow the AI race with any regulatory requirements that could create obstacles to innovation.

The cancellation had a direct and immediate consequence: American big tech companies effectively got what they had been lobbying for all along, full freedom to develop and release new models without prior government checks and delays.

How the industry won

Major Silicon Valley tech companies lobbied intensively against this executive order for several months. They insistently argued that a government safety check requirement would slow innovation and let China seize technological leadership in AI.

Trump's cancellation of the order is an unqualified victory for the tech industry. The practical consequences are already visible:

• Companies get full freedom to release new AI models without prior government checks
• No more bureaucratic delays between development and commercial release
• The American market gets a faster cycle of innovation and competition
• US technological dominance in the AI industry strengthens thanks to the absence of regulatory obstacles

This means the US is now taking the path of minimal regulation, letting the market itself set the pace of AI development.

The price of the question: safety

AI safety experts warned the administration that new generations of AI models would carry critical risks. Without mandatory government checks, insufficiently tested systems may spread quickly and create unforeseen problems.

However, in the context of American geopolitics, the argument about the need to outpace China carries particular weight. The Trump administration clearly believes that the risk of falling behind technologically outweighs concerns about the safety of individual AI models. It is a classic example of national interests overriding narrow questions of technological safety.

What this means

The cancellation of the executive order is a clear signal that business interests have prevailed over government regulation. The American AI industry gets practically free rein to develop and release new technologies without bureaucratic barriers. This will speed up innovation and strengthen American superiority in the AI race with China.

The question is what price this decision will carry for the safety and stability of systems in the long term.