AI Policy Divide: Biden’s Executive Order vs. Trump’s Campaign Plans
President Joe Biden has issued an executive order on artificial intelligence (AI), outlining guidelines for watermarking AI-generated content and protecting against AI-enabled fraud and discrimination. In contrast, former President Donald Trump’s campaign has put forth a chaotic AI policy plan, despite Trump’s apparent lack of deep understanding of the technology.
The Republican Party’s official policy platform calls for the repeal of Biden’s executive order and advocates for AI development rooted in free speech and human flourishing. This stance is further elaborated in Project 2025, a document drafted by political operatives close to Trump, which outlines sweeping conservative changes to the government.
Project 2025 presents a contradictory approach to AI policies, simultaneously calling for more and less AI in government. It proposes using AI to monitor Medicare recipients and enhance spy agencies, while also maintaining a broad anti-China stance with conflicting positions on TikTok and Chinese AI firms.
The document’s AI and surveillance policies have drawn criticism for their apparent hypocrisy. While accusing China of using AI for authoritarian control, Project 2025 advocates for expanding U.S. AI spying efforts and consolidating power within the executive branch.
Civil liberties experts have raised concerns about the implications of these policies, particularly regarding the expansion of data collection on women’s reproductive care and the use of AI to identify and punish suspected abortions.
The conservative AI agenda also emphasizes deregulation and economic interests. Project 2025 calls for streamlining procedures for AI firms at the U.S. Patent Office and shows a preference for private ventures over in-house government AI models. This approach aligns with the interests of tech contractors, such as Peter Thiel’s Palantir, which has ties to Trump’s administration.
Notably absent from the conservative AI policy documents are detailed plans for addressing privacy, security, transparency, and fairness in AI development. The impact of AI on jobs is also largely overlooked, despite concerns about immigrant labor.
Roxana Muenster, an AI policy expert, criticizes Project 2025’s AI policy for its lack of comprehension and detailed plans. She warns that repealing Biden’s executive order without a comprehensive AI plan could be worrisome.
Trump’s personal approach to AI has been inconsistent, with accusations of AI use against rivals and sharing of AI-generated images, reflecting the chaos that has characterized his political career.
As the debate over AI policy continues, the stark contrast between the Biden administration’s regulatory approach and the conservative push for deregulation highlights the complex challenges facing policymakers in the rapidly evolving field of artificial intelligence.
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