Trump Administration Moves to Expand Government Use of AI with Policy Change

The White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued new policies on Monday intended to allow the federal government to take better advantage of rapidly improving artificial intelligence (AI) technology, following a January 23 executive order from President Donald Trump.

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“Under President Trump’s leadership, America is well-positioned to maintain its global dominance in AI. To better serve the public, the Federal Government must capitalize on the advantages of American innovation while maintaining strong protections for Americans’ privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties,” the White House said in a statement.

“Today’s revised memos offer much needed guidance on AI adoption and procurement that will remove unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions, allow agencies to be more efficient and cost-effective, and support a competitive American AI marketplace,” added Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Principal Deputy Director Lynne Parker.

The OMB memos, issued in conjunction with the OSTP, seek to reverse the “risk-averse” AI policies of the previous administration and remove “unnecessary bureaucratic restrictions” on the executive branch’s use of AI. The White House hopes that the changes will ultimately make agencies more efficient and cost-effective, and will ultimately cement the U.S.’s dominance in AI technology.

The changes came in the form of two memos. The first, “Promoting Rapid and Responsible AI Adoption,” aims to remove bureaucratic barriers to innovation while also maintaining the civil liberties and privacy of Americans.

It redefines the role of agency chief AI officers, shifting them from supervisors of bureaucracy to “change agents” who advocate for the adoption of AI across their respective agencies.

They are tasked with adopting low-risk AI tools, mitigating the risks posed by AI adoption, and advising their agencies on reasonable and cost-effective AI spending.

The memo directs agencies to prepare assessments to track the progress of their AI adoption and their needs regarding artificial intelligence. It also calls for a new category of “high impact” AI tools to be defined. These tools require more significant monitoring from agency employees to ensure that they do not harm the rights or safety of Americans.

Under the new policy, AI tools will face the same approval process as other IT-related tools and will not have to undergo additional layers of approval as required by the previous administration.

A second memo, “Driving Effective and Efficient AI Acquisition,” issues guidance on how agencies can acquire top-tier AI tools while minimizing risks to U.S. taxpayers.

It directs federal agencies to support competition in the American AI market by using specifically American-made systems. Agencies must ensure that the systems they procure are fit for their purposes and must avoid locking into deals with specific vendors if other AI products are found that better serve the needs of the American taxpayers.

Agencies must issue clear and specific requirements to vendors so that they can best tailor their products to fit those needs. The memo also directs agencies to create a shared online repository so that they can all benefit from information on acquiring the best AI products.

The memos come in response to a January executive order in which Trump declared the official U.S. policy on artificial intelligence.

“It is the policy of the United States to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security,” said Trump’s order.