US President Donald Trump’s Light Touch Regulatory Approach to AI has received strong support from leading tech companies such as Google and Meta, as well as other industry players such as Microsoft-backed Openai and Amazon’s humanity.
In separate submissions to the White House AI Action Plan, these tech companies argue that it is crucial to relax rules regarding the construction of large-scale language models (LLMS) and other AI tools to maintain the country’s competitiveness against China. A few months ago, Chinese AI startup Deepseek sent a shockwave to Silicon Valley after claiming it had built a state-of-the-art AI model at some of the development costs by its US rivals.
Since taking office in January, President Trump’s efforts have shown significant focused changes, from addressing AI risks such as hallucinations, deepfakes and job evacuation to accelerating the development of AI at all costs.
He also rescinded former US President Joe Biden’s executive order on AI, which had proposed specific guardrails for a powerful AI model. “The future of AI will never win by raising your hand on safety,” Vice President JD Vance said at the AI ​​Action Summit last month in Paris.
Trump’s proposed AI action plan
AFP reports that the Trump administration has highlighted the need for the US to maintain its position as an “undeniable leader in AI technology,” and invited responses from industry leaders on AI action plans expected to be drafted in the coming months of the summer.
Openry is reportedly referred to as “national supply” and “national control” in its policy proposals, which pose privacy and security risks. It called for “to protect AI development from both the authoritarian powers that deprive people of freedom and from the layers of law and bureaucracy that hinder us from realising it.
Openai also argued that they should be allowed to train AI models on copyrighted content under the Fair Use Exception. “Without fair access to copyrighted materials… America will lose as much as democratic AI success,” ChatGpt-Maker said.
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Meanwhile, Meta submission stated that “an open source model is essential for the US to win the AI ​​race with China and ensure American AI domination.” Google’s response focuses on infrastructure investments for the substantial energy requirements of AI. They also opposed state-by-state restrictions on American AI.
Meanwhile, a group of popular artists and Hollywood celebrities such as Ben Stiller and Cynthia Eribo rejected the fair use arguments proposed by high-tech companies to justify AI training on copyrighted materials.
The other side of the pond
Trump’s light-touch approach to regulating AI is not exactly in line with the efforts of the European Union (EU) that adopted the Landmark AI Act in 2024.
EU officials also report that they are pivoting their message to investment and innovation rather than safety. However, the block still appears to be committed to enforcing strict regulations on large tech companies.
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Most recently, the European Commission has announced two major anti-trust enforcement decisions against Google and Apple. In its preliminary findings, the EU Executive Body said that Google’s parent company, Alphabet, almost certainly violated the provisions of the Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Once the findings are decisive, the EU can fine Google, reaching 10% of the world’s annual revenue.
Additionally, the committee detailed measures for Apple to comply with the DMA, particularly the provisions of the competition law, in which designated “gatekeepers” must make their products easier and more effective interoperable with third-party devices and services.
“The two preliminary findings we employ today aim to ensure that Alphabet complies with EU regulations regarding the two services widely used by EU businesses and consumers: Google Search and Android phones.”
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In response, Apple said: “Today’s decision wraps us in the deficit, slowing down Apple’s ability to innovate European users and forces them to offer new features to companies that don’t need to play with the same rules. That’s bad for our products and European users.
Google also argued that the committee’s preliminary findings “make it difficult to find what people are looking for and reduce traffic to European businesses.”
