Trump Signs Executive Order on AI Development and Military Use President Donald Trump has moved to both loosen and harden US control over artificial intelligence in the span of a week, pairing a light-touch commercial oversight order with an aggressive push to embed “the most advanced AI” inside the military.

Late May: A tougher plan stalls

In late May, Trump abruptly canceled a high-profile signing ceremony for a tougher AI security order amid internal clashes between deregulation advocates and cybersecurity officials, fearing the plan “could dull America’s edge on AI technology.” A leaked draft had envisioned a mandatory or longer pre-release review window of up to 90 days for powerful “frontier” models, with stronger federal evaluation powers.

June 2: A narrowed, voluntary executive order

On June 2, Trump quietly signed a scaled-back executive order titled Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security. The revised directive creates a voluntary framework allowing AI companies to give the government access to advanced models up to 30 days before public release, down from the previously floated 90 days. The order explicitly states that “nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement” for new AI models.

The order also directs agencies to develop benchmarks for assessing models’ cyber capabilities and establishes a federal “cybersecurity clearinghouse” to coordinate vulnerability discovery and patching in response to incidents like Anthropic’s Mythos model exposing software flaws.

Industry reaction has been mixed. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman praised the balance, arguing “theUSshould lead on AI by continuing to develop the very best models, making sure they’re safe, and getting cyber tools into the hands of trusted defenders. the new EO gets the balance right.” By contrast, critics say the plan offers “performative reassurances” without changing how dangerous systems are deployed, and question whether gutted US security teams can meaningfully test models in such short windows.

June 7: Military memo supercharges defense AI

On June 7, Trump signed National Security Presidential Memorandum 11 (NSPM‑11), ordering the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to “rapid[ly] onboard” the most advanced AI models from multiple vendors. The memo bars companies from unilaterally disabling or degrading deployed AI systems relied on by “warfighters” without prior government approval, even if vendors later develop safety concerns.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth must now update the Pentagon’s core policy on autonomous weapons within 90 days, revisiting rules on human judgment over lethal decisions. While the memo bans models designed to “censor free speech, embed ideological bias or conduct unlawful surveillance against the American people,” it offers no clear enforcement mechanism or definitions.

Together, the June 2 order and NSPM‑11 sketch a dual-track strategy: minimal binding restraints on commercial AI, coupled with a fast lane to weaponize frontier systems for US national security.

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