Trump's New AI Executive Order Has No Teeth and No Requirements

Under an executive order issued by President Donald Trump, AI companies such as OpenAI and Anthropic are being asked to submit advanced artificial intelligence models to the government for vetting on cybersecurity, confidentiality, "insider risk" and intellectual property protections.

But as the executive order makes clear, AI companies are under no obligation to do much of anything.

At the end of a section ordering the creation of a vetting process in which AI companies would submit their models 30 days ahead of release, it states: "Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models."

A White House representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Frontier models are cutting-edge AI models that could pose a major security risk, such as Anthropic's Mythos, which the company kept from public release due to cybersecurity concerns. US-based AI companies are in a race to train and release artificial intelligence models, especially amid competition from Chinese companies.

But the rapid release cycle of new models has raised concerns that they aren't being properly tested or regulated before going public, particularly regarding their human impacts or potential use as hacking tools.

The executive order also includes provisions for agencies, such as the Pentagon and the US Department of the Treasury, to beef up their cybersecurity defenses over the next 30 days.

Over the next 60 days, agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency, are expected to create a framework for evaluating AI models, even though companies aren't required to submit them.

(Disclosure: Ziff Davis, CNET's parent company, in 2025 filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging it infringed Ziff Davis copyrights in training and operating its AI systems.)

The 'appearance' of oversight?

... continue reading