The U.S. government has adjusted its review procedures for cutting-edge AI models. On Tuesday, Trump signed a new executive order requiring some AI companies to voluntarily submit their new models to the government for testing or evaluation 30 days before releasing them to the public. This document significantly narrows the requirements compared to a previously leaked, more stringent version.

The review window has been shortened to 30 days.

The previous draft required companies to submit their models no earlier than 90 days before release, a move that drew significant opposition within the industry. According to TechCrunch, some AI practitioners prefer to compress the window to around two weeks. Trump originally planned to sign a tougher version by the end of May, but postponed it after pressure from the industry.

Trump stated at the time that he did not want American AI companies to be additionally hampered in competing with China. The report mentioned that those who voiced their opposition included venture capitalist and former White House AI advisor David Sacks.

Excludes mandatory licensing for documents

This executive order retains the government's right to review models before their release, but also includes restrictive wording. The document states that the relevant provisions should not be interpreted as authorizing the government to establish a mandatory licensing, pre-approval, or administrative access system for the development, release, or distribution of new AI models, including cutting-edge models.

This means the White House is trying to strike a balance between two goals: on the one hand, to retain federal-level model evaluation channels, and on the other hand, to avoid making this mechanism a rigid approval threshold.

Ministry of Justice expands enforcement focus

In addition to model review, the executive order also requires the U.S. Department of Justice to prioritize AI-assisted hacking, unauthorized access, and other criminal activities as high-priority enforcement areas.

This is yet another executive order on AI during Trump's presidency. Last December, he signed another order to promote a unified national AI policy framework, intended to take precedence over fragmented state legislation.

Additional information:TechCrunch reports that Trump originally planned to sign the order in the presence of several Silicon Valley tech CEOs, but ultimately opted to sign it privately.