In January, President Trump signed executive order 14,179 entitled “Removing barriers to American leadership in artificial intelligence.” The order reflected President Biden’s executive order to prioritize AI’s global domination of America.
Of course, there were some major differences. Trump’s approach has supported removing some of the restrictions the industry faces today and dismantling some of the Biden order. One of the main things Trump’s orders did was to ask for the creation of an “Artificial Intelligence Action Plan.” Today, Openai published its plan recommendations in a 15-page letter.
TLDR: If you want us to defeat China, we must become like them.
In the letter, Openai’s global vice president Chris Lehane lists some unique “benefits” that America has.
China is an authoritarian state, “giving it the unfair ability to “quickly resources) the vast amount of money needed to build its own domestic chip development capabilities.”
The Chinese model is not limited by the strict enforcement of IP laws and allows you to train your favorite content.
China can spread the use of homemade AI tools such as DeepSeek to its global partners.
China is not required to comply with troubling US state laws and can engage in “regulatory arbitrages” due to the regulatory patchwork that emerged due to the lack of federal laws governing the development of AI.
It is worth noting that the majority of the technology driving today’s AI explosions were all created in the US without the “benefits” of China.
And throughout this period, there have also been few restrictions on the development of US AI, but with the exception of requirements appointed later in Biden’s term, the biggest and most powerful model had to be submitted to a regulatory safety review prior to its release.
US lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who repeatedly say that AI regulation is a priority have shown that deep-divided Congress simply could not pass bills on the issue. So the state has stepped up to fill the vacuum.
We want regulation…but voluntary
Openai says it wants “freedom to innovate.” Lehane wrote in the letter:
“We propose a holistic approach that allows for voluntary partnerships between the federal government and the private sector, neutralizing the potential PRC benefits of American AI companies that must comply with overly burdensome state laws.”
Openai leaders have really discussed the ability and prosperity their tools can unlock, and the strategic benefits they can offer to national security applications. However, the company also wants to sell AI products around the world.
Lehane calls for an export control strategy that applies a “commercial growth lens” to promote the adoption of “American AI.”
“Intellect Freedom”
This letter wants to ensure people’s “intellectual freedom.” This calls for widespread access to inexpensive and powerful AI.
But it also includes warning memos for the Trump administration.
The company calls for people to be “protected from both authoritarian forces that deprive people of their freedom, and from the layers of law and bureaucracy that prevent us from realizing them.
Last week, Axios reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is using AI to track and target foreigners for US visa revocation based on their speech and actions.
Openai did not respond immediately to requests for comment.
