US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday establishing a voluntary framework for artificial intelligence (AI) developers to provide the federal government with early access to advanced models.
The order, titled “Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security,” encourages developers to share “covered frontier models” for a period of up to 30 days before their scheduled release to other trusted partners.
Politico reported that the directive is a “scaled-back” version of earlier plans. While previous drafts allegedly considered a 90-day review period, the final order settled on 30 days.
The text explicitly states that the policy should not be “construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing” or preclearance requirement for AI publication or distribution.
Strengthening national cyber defense
The directive mandates federal agencies to prioritize the cyber defense of national security and civilian systems within 30 days. It also calls for the creation of an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse to coordinate scanning for software vulnerabilities. This initiative involves the departments of Treasury, Homeland Security, and Defense in “voluntary collaboration with the AI industry.”
Furthermore, the administration will develop a “classified benchmarking process” to assess the cyber capabilities of AI and determine the threshold for designating systems as frontier models. The order also tasks the director of CISA (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency) with facilitating access to cybersecurity tools for operators of critical infrastructure, including community banks and rural utilities.
The US president also directed the attorney general to prioritize the enforcement of federal laws against anyone who “utilizes AI to illegally access or damage a computer without authorization.”
