Trump administration to outline how it will approach AI
President Donald Trump’s administration has unveiled an aggressive, low-regulation strategy boosting big tech’s race to stay ahead of China in artificial intelligence.
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President Trump, 79, is set to sign several AI related executive orders on Wednesday afternoon, local time — including an action to curb “woke” models and for AI systems to be “free from ideological bias” and designed to pursue objective truth rather than what the administration calls “social engineering agendas.”
The 25-page “America’s AI Action Plan” outlines three aims: accelerating innovation, building infrastructure, and leading internationally on AI.
Overall, the administration frames AI advancement as critical to maintaining economic and military supremacy. Environmental consequences in the planning document are sidelined.
“We believe we’re in an AI race … and we want the United States to win that race,” said the White House’s AI point person David Sacks in a call with reporters.
In its collection of more than 90 government proposals, the plan calls for sweeping deregulation, with the administration promising to “remove red tape and onerous regulation” that could hinder private sector AI development.
Much of that work has already been carried out through a Trump executive order repealing the AI policies of the Biden administration.
The plan also asked the Federal Communications Commission to find ways to legally stop US states from implementing their own AI regulations and threatened to rescind federal aid to states that did so.
The administration, which largely rejects international science showing a growing climate crisis, proposes creating new environmental review exemptions for data centre construction and expanding access to federal lands for AI infrastructure development.
Addressing fears that AI will replace humans and create mass job losses across entire sectors, the administration’s plan says instead that “AI will improve the lives of Americans by complementing their work - not replacing it.”
It comes as a former top lawyer at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) launched a new artificial intelligence policy council, coinciding with executive actions by President Trump to deregulate the AI industry, The Post revealed.
James Burnham, who also held a senior position in the Department of Justice during Mr Trump’s first term, is founding the AI Innovation Council to push an “America First” approach to AI and prevent China from winning the race for global tech dominance — both economically and militarily.
“Artificial intelligence is a revolutionary technology with the potential to make the United States wealthier and greater than it has ever been,” he said.
“That’s why President Trump made clear in his first week back in office that ‘the policy of the United States is to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.’
“I have been as outspoken as anyone about the problems of Big Tech and monopoly power, but it’s a major mistake to let legitimate concerns about past abuses block new innovators from propelling our nation into a new golden age.”
The new council will sketch out regulatory frameworks for AI and help boost US-based companies.
“The goal isn’t just to win the innovation race,” Burnham said. “It’s to help launch America’s golden age.”
These plans will help “ensure America sets the technological gold standard worldwide, and that the world continues to run on American technology,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.
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‘RIDICULOUS’: OBAMA BLASTS TRUMP TREASON CLAIM
Former president Barack Obama has hit back at Donald Trump’s allegations of treason and sedition, describing them as “bizarre” and “ridiculous”.
“Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response,” Mr Obama’s spokesman said.
“But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction.”
It came after Mr Trump called for former president Barack Obama to be prosecuted for allegedly ordering an assessment that Russia meddled to help him with the 2016 election.
“Whether it’s right or wrong, it’s time to go after people,” Mr Trump said in the Oval Office after referencing newly aired allegations of Mr Obama’s role in allegations of Russian interference after Mr Trump won his first term of office.
“It’s criminal at the highest level,” the president added, referring to documents released last week by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.
“It would be President Obama, he started it. And (Joe) Biden was there with him, and (James) Comey was there, and (James) Clapper — the whole group was there, and (John) Brennan.”
Mr Trump added: “The leader of the gang was President Obama … He’s guilty.
“This was treason, this was every word you could think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCES TRADE DEAL WITH JAPAN
Donald Trump announced that his administration had wrapped up a massive trade agreement with Japan, two weeks after threatening the US ally with 25 per cent tariffs
“We just completed a massive Deal with Japan, perhaps the largest Deal ever made. Japan will invest, at my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into the United States, which will receive 90% of the Profits,” Mr Trump wrote on Truth Social.
“Perhaps most importantly, Japan will open their Country to Trade including Cars and Trucks, Rice and certain other Agricultural Products, and other things. Japan will pay Reciprocal Tariffs to the United States of 15%.”
On July 7, Mr Trump told Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru his country would pay a 25 per cent duty on exports to the US if a deal wasn’t wrapped by August 1.
Japan is the fifth-largest US trading partner among individual nations, trailing Mexico, Canada, China and Germany.
OLYMPIC CHIEFS BAN TRANSGENDER ATHLETES
The US Olympic and Paralympic Committee is falling in line with an executive order from US President Donald Trump banning transgender women from women’s sports.
The committee quietly updated its eligibility rules, adding a paragraph to its 27-page “Athlete Safety Policy” posted to its website that includes language that implies it bars transgender women from competing in women’s divisions.
Mr Trump signed the “Keeping Men out of Women’s Sports” executive order — also known as Executive Order 14201 — in February.
“The USOPC will continue to collaborate with various stakeholders with oversight responsibilities, e.g., IOC, IPC, NGBs, to ensure that women have a fair and safe competition environment consistent with Executive Order 14201 and the Ted Stevens Olympic & Amateur Sports Act,” the added language in the document stated.
It’s not clearly stated how the policy will be enforced, and it is unclear whether any American Olympians will be banned from the upcoming 2028 Summer Olympics taking place in Los Angeles.
US LEAVES ‘WOKE’ UNESCO
US President Donald Trump is pulling America out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), citing its pro-China and anti-Israel leanings as well as its woke agenda, The New York Post has learned.
Australia is a founding member of UNESCO which was established in 1946.
UNESCO has been a focal point of criticism for decades, with the organisation’s structure
frequently described as overly bureaucratic and inefficient.
The US stopped funding UNESCO after it voted to include Palestine as a member in 2011.
Prior to America’s official withdrawal, UNESCO has 194 Members and 12 Associate Members.
Mr Trump ordered a 90-day review of America’s presence in UNESCO in February, with special emphasis on probing any “anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment within the organisation.”
Upon conducting the review, administration officials took issue with UNESCO’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies as well as its pro-Palestinian and pro-China bias, a White House official told The Post.
“President Trump has decided to withdraw the United States from UNESCO — which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes that are totally out-of-step with the commonsense policies that Americans voted for in November,” White House deputy spokesperson Anna Kelly said.
“This President will always put America First and ensure our country’s membership in all international organisations aligns with our national interests.”
Among the faults cited are UNESCO’s publication of an “anti-racism toolkit” in 2023 and its 2024 “Transforming MEN’talities” initiative, the former of which called on member states to adopt “anti-racist” policies and compete in a “race to the top” to be the foremost social justice advocate, answering questions about the history of racism in their jurisdictions and then working to ensure equity.
The “MEN’talities” initiative published a report highlighting the organisation’s work in India aimed at reshaping how “men think about gender issues” – especially “harmful gender norms.”
Meanwhile, UNESCO used its Executive Board to force through anti-Israel and anti-Jewish actions, including designating Jewish holy sites as “Palestinian World Heritage” sites, the White House official said.
UNESCO frequently uses language stating that Palestine is “occupied” by Israel and condemns the Jewish state’s war on Hamas, without criticising the terror group’s brutal reign over Gaza.
In addition, Beijing is the second-largest funder of UNESCO, with Chinese nationals like deputy director-general Xing Qu in key leadership positions.
“China has leveraged its influence over UNESCO to advance global standards that are favourable to Beijing’s interests,” the official said.
The Chinese Communist Party has particularly been criticised for using its influence in UNESCO to downplay the role of minorities like Uyghur Muslims in the nation’s history.
Mr Trump initially ordered the US out of UNESCO in 2017, then as now citing anti-Israel bias.
TRUMP REACHES TRADE DEAL WITH PHILIPPINES
US President Donald Trump announced he had reached a trade deal with the Philippines after meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos
“It was a beautiful visit, and we concluded our Trade Deal, whereby The Philippines is going OPEN MARKET with the United States, and ZERO Tariffs. The Philippines will pay a 19% Tariff,” Mr Trump wrote to Truth Social.
“In addition, we will work together Militarily. It was a Great Honor to be with the President. “He is Highly Respected in his Country, as he should be. He is also a very good, and tough, negotiator. We extend our warmest regards to the wonderful people of The Philippines!”
The Philippines, a former US colony and longtime ally, was among countries confronted by Mr Trump with letters this month warning of 20 per cent tariffs on all their goods coming into the United States as of August 1 – up from a previous threat of 17 per cent.
The trade rift comes despite increasingly close defence relations between the United States and the Philippines, which has seen high tensions with China.
Parts of this story originally appeared in The New York Post.
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