President Donald Trump unveiled an ambitious plan on Wednesday aimed at solidifying American leadership in artificial intelligence, pledging to streamline regulations, accelerate infrastructure development, and promote U.S. tech exports to counter China’s growing influence, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The Trump administration introduced a national “action plan” on Wednesday to expand the domestic use of AI and give U.S. technology companies a global edge. The initiative focuses on reducing government red tape, accelerating data center construction, and facilitating AI-related exports.
Among its top priorities, the plan directs agencies, including the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, to review and eliminate any regulations that may obstruct AI development. The administration stated that the effort is intended to accelerate data infrastructure projects essential for training advanced AI models.
“We’re going to make sure America stays at the leading edge of the artificial-intelligence boom,” Vice President JD Vance said at a tech industry event in Washington, where President Trump was expected to sign executive orders to activate the policy.
The plan aligns closely with longstanding demands from the tech sector. Companies like OpenAI, Meta Platforms, and Microsoft have pressed for government assistance in building the data centers necessary to support AI expansion, warning that national security threats loom if the U.S. falls behind competitors such as China.
“President Trump’s plan will accelerate infrastructure readiness so AI can be built and used here, and help students and workers with skills needed to win in an AI-powered global economy,” said Fred Humphries, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of U.S. government affairs, in a post on X.
Critics, however, described the framework as overly friendly to industry. “Clearly the White House took recommendations from big tech CEOs, slapped a White House seal on it, and patted themselves on the back,” said Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project.
The administration aims to use the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the Development Finance Corp. to support the expansion of American AI technologies abroad. In a nod to local concerns, the plan instructs federal agencies to factor in state AI laws when determining funding—a move designed to counter state-level regulation deemed unfavorable by industry.
While the plan advances several industry goals, it avoids intervening in contentious legal battles over AI and copyright law. A senior administration official said those issues are best left to the courts.
The Trump administration, led by former tech executives including AI czar David Sacks and technology-policy chief Michael Kratsios, has reversed several Biden-era policies seen as restrictive. In January, Trump rescinded an executive order from Joe Biden that established AI standards and also loosened limits on chip exports to friendly countries.
With more than $1.5 trillion in recent tech-sector investments and $36 million in federal lobbying by top AI firms in the first half of 2025, the administration’s AI policy reflects a strong alignment between Washington and Silicon Valley.
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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