What To Expect From the White House’s AI Action Plan

Setting the Terms of AI Regulation Nationally and Globally

The U.S. can shape AI governance while ensuring a competitive edge by promoting conformity assessments and working with global bodies such as the International Organization for Standardization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. Active participation in these international organizations is critical for setting the terms of AI regulation worldwide, Saunders says.

Fostering innovation without stifling progress with excessive regulation is a major challenge when crafting AI policy.

“The administration has a unique opportunity to lower the regulatory burden of multiple state laws by driving for a single, federal legislation on AI,” says Alla Valente, senior analyst at Forrester.

A standardized national framework would provide clarity for businesses while eliminating inefficiencies created by the current patchwork of state regulations.

Security and privacy standards must be clearly defined to allow AI companies to innovate with confidence.

“AI innovation has the chance to thrive when there are clear understandings and standards related to data quality, security and privacy,” says Tanya Das, director of AI and energy technology policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Transparency and voluntary technical guidelines could also increase public trust and streamline AI adoption across sectors, Das says.

Businesses that already began aligning to existing AI regulations won’t abandon them overnight, even if the Trump administration revokes them, because rollbacks are costly. That way, they avoid regulatory whiplash, Valente says.

The AI Action Plan Must Promote AI-Capable Infrastructure

The AI Action Plan must also address the infrastructure needed to sustain AI advancements by encouraging expanding energy capacity and improving AI hardware.

“Advancing efficiencies across chip technology, data centers and our energy systems with standardized metrics and frameworks will help bolster our long-term sustainability and competitiveness,” Valente says.

Building domestic AI infrastructure, including next-generation chips and secure cloud environments, is also key.

“Developing leading-edge AI hardware, software and applications ensures the U.S. maintains and grows its leadership position in AI,” Das says.

Also important is that the U.S. continues to invest in AI research and workforce training using federal grants and education programs.

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“Government can play a critical role in supporting AI research with grants and other incentives, as well as direct education programs to provide the development and training required to make AI accessible to all,” Valente says.

The Department of Energy’s expanding AI research and development initiatives range from optimizing federal permitting processes to developing advanced cooling technologies for data centers.

“Growth of these R&D and workforce programs is essential to maintaining U.S. leadership and unlocking new advancements across critical sectors at the forefront of AI innovation,” Das says.

All told, the stakes for the White House’s AI Action Plan are undeniably high.

“The administration has the chance to set the tone for AI innovation in the U.S. for the next decade,” Valente says. “Whether they seize it effectively remains to be seen.”

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