This Presidential Action establishes a national policy focused on maintaining U.S. leadership in Artificial Intelligence (AI) by simultaneously encouraging innovation and strengthening national security against evolving AI-related threats.
The action directs various departments, including War, Homeland Security, and the Treasury, to immediately upgrade federal system cyber defenses, prioritize the defense of National Security Systems, and establish a voluntary information-sharing arrangement with AI developers regarding "covered frontier models" to assess potential risks before public release.
Furthermore, the Attorney General is tasked with prioritizing the criminal prosecution of individuals who misuse AI to illegally access or damage computer systems.
Arguments For
Promoting AI innovation is crucial for national strength and economic growth, requiring the removal of burdensome regulations that stifle development.
Coordinating enhanced cybersecurity efforts across National Security Systems and civilian Federal systems will harden critical infrastructure against evolving AI-enabled threats.
Establishing a voluntary framework for developers to share advanced AI models ("covered frontier models") before release allows the government to assess and mitigate national security risks early.
Aggressive enforcement against criminal misuse of AI (e.g., unauthorized system access or data theft) protects digital assets and upholds existing federal law.
Arguments Against
Mandating any form of mandatory governmental licensing or preclearance for AI model development, even if explicitly disclaimed, introduces regulatory uncertainty that could slow down responsible AI deployment.
Imposing rapid turnaround requirements (30 or 60 days) for agency actions, system upgrades, and framework development may strain the capacity of various agencies, including CISA and OMB, potentially leading to rushed or incomplete security measures.
Relying on voluntary industry collaboration for sharing sensitive model information presents risks regarding data confidentiality, intellectual property protection, and consistent compliance across all major developers.
Directing federal grant funding towards specific AI vulnerability detection, while potentially beneficial, may divert resources from other essential federal technology modernization or cybersecurity needs.
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered:
This opening statement asserts the President's constitutional and legal authority to issue the directives that follow in this order.
Section 1. Purpose. The United States continues to lead the world in Artificial Intelligence (AI) because of the enormous talent and innovation of our AI industry, and because we refuse to stifle this innovation with overly burdensome regulation. My Administration has unleashed tremendous technological growth and economic investment in AI by slashing the bureaucratic constraints that the prior administration placed on America’s AI developers and researchers, and by instead encouraging AI innovation and accelerating responsible AI adoption across government and industry.
Advanced AI capabilities make our Nation stronger, but also introduce new national security considerations that require coordinated action across executive departments and agencies (agencies), and components. As these capabilities evolve, my Administration will continue to work closely with industry to ensure that the best and most secure technology is deployed rapidly to confront any and all threats to our country. We will continue to lead an America First cybersecurity effort that enhances both our national security and our global AI dominance.
It is the policy of the United States to promote AI innovation and security by working collaboratively with the private sector to modernize government and private sector information systems and harden them against external threats; to protect American ingenuity and intellectual property from exploitation and theft by adversaries; and to cultivate America’s advanced AI-enabled capabilities.
This section declares the order's primary goals: to promote AI innovation by avoiding excessive regulation while simultaneously managing emerging national security risks associated with advanced AI capabilities.
The policy emphasizes collaboration with the private sector to modernize information systems, protect intellectual property from adversaries, and ensure the U.S. maintains global technological dominance.
Sec. 2. Upgrading American Systems for Advanced AI. (a) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Committee on National Security Systems shall prioritize the cyber defense of National Security Systems, as defined in 44 U.S.C. 3552(b)(6)(A), by taking appropriate and expeditious action consistent with the purpose of this order.
(b) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of War shall prioritize the cyber defense of Department of War information systems by taking appropriate and expeditious action consistent with the purpose of this order.
(c) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), in consultation with the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs, and the National Cyber Director, shall release Binding Operational Directives and other guidance as appropriate to:
(i) expedite and prioritize the cyber defense of civilian Federal Government information systems in order to protect our Nation’s vital functions;
(ii) establish or expand Federal programs and cybersecurity services that enhance AI-enabled defensive tools; and
(iii) facilitate access to cybersecurity tools and services including, where appropriate, covered frontier models for agencies, State and local authorities, and operators of critical infrastructure such as rural hospitals, community banks, and local utilities.
(d) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the National Cyber Director, the Secretary of War, through the Director of the National Security Agency (NSA), and the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of CISA, shall form an AI cybersecurity clearinghouse, in voluntary collaboration with the AI industry and operators of critical infrastructure, that coordinates and deconflicts scanning for software vulnerabilities, discovers and validates such vulnerabilities, and coordinates and prioritizes remediation and distribution of vulnerability patches.
(e) Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Director of OMB, in coordination with the National Cyber Director and the Director of CISA, shall determine whether any Federal grant programs have available and relevant funding that can be directed toward applicants developing advanced AI vulnerability detection.
(f) Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall expand the United States Tech Force Information Cybersecurity Specialist hiring and placement pathways.
This section mandates immediate actions, generally within 30 days, to improve cybersecurity across governmental systems.
The Committee on National Security Systems and the Secretary of War must prioritize cyber defense for their respective systems.
The Secretary of Homeland Security, via CISA, must issue directives to speed up civilian system defense, expand AI-enhanced cybersecurity tools, and share these tools, including potentially covered frontier models, with state, local, and critical infrastructure entities.
Additionally, a voluntary AI cybersecurity clearinghouse must be formed to coordinate vulnerability scanning and patching.
OMB is required to examine existing federal grants for potential redirection to AI vulnerability detection development, and OPM must expand pathways for hiring cybersecurity specialists.
Sec. 3. Secure Frontier Model Deployment. Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury, the Secretary of War, through the Director of NSA, and the Secretary of Homeland Security, through the Director of CISA, in consultation with the White House Chief of Staff, through the National Cyber Director, the Assistant to the President for Science and Technology (APST), and the Secretary of Commerce, through the Director of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, and in coordination with other agencies, as appropriate, shall:
(a) develop and maintain a classified benchmarking process to assess the advanced cyber capabilities of AI models and determine the threshold at which an AI model should be designated a “covered frontier model” for the purposes of this order, sharing such assessments with AI developers and researchers as appropriate. Such a determination shall be made by the Director of NSA, in consultation with the National Cyber Director, the APST, the Director of CISA, and other representatives of the Department of War, as appropriate.
(b) design a voluntary framework with AI developers through which developers would be able to:
(i) engage the Federal Government to determine whether model(s) under development meet the designation of “covered frontier model”;
(ii) provide the Federal Government with access to covered frontier models, subject to appropriate confidentiality, cybersecurity, insider-risk, and intellectual-property protection, use, and nondisclosure requirements, for a period of up to 30 days before they plan to release such models to other trusted partners; and
(iii) collaborate with the Federal Government to select trusted partners that will have early access to covered frontier models to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to authorize the creation of a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new AI models, including frontier models.
This section focuses on securing the development and deployment of the most powerful AI models, termed "covered frontier models," within 60 days.
A classified process must be created to assess and designate these models based on their cyber capabilities.
A voluntary framework will allow developers to notify the government if their models qualify, grant the government temporary access (up to 30 days) for security review, and help select trusted partners for early access.
Crucially, the section explicitly states that this process does not create any mandatory licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for releasing AI models.
Sec. 4. Protection Against Criminal Actors. The Attorney General shall prioritize the enforcement of 18 U.S.C. 1028, 18 U.S.C. 1030, 18 U.S.C. 1343, and all other applicable Federal criminal laws against anyone who utilizes AI to illegally access or damage a computer without authorization, or who utilizes AI while engaged in such illegal access to further any other crime. This includes breaching any public or private information technology system, or employing AI agents to unlawfully access data or information that is subsequently used for a criminal or unlawful purpose.
The Attorney General must prioritize enforcing specific federal criminal statutes—concerning fraud, identity theft, and computer access—against individuals who use AI tools to commit cybercrimes.
This enforcement priority covers unauthorized access or damage to any public or private IT system using AI, especially when the unlawfully obtained data serves a criminal purpose.
Sec. 5. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
(d) The costs for publication of this order shall be borne by the Department of War.
This final section contains standard administrative clauses.
It clarifies that the order does not override existing statutory authority for any executive department or agency, nor does it affect the budgetary functions of the OMB. Implementation must comply with existing law and available funding.
Importantly, the order explicitly states it does not create any enforceable legal rights or benefits for any party against the United States or its personnel.
The Department of War is assigned the cost of publishing the order.
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