A familiar impulse has resurfaced in Washington with President Trump’s recent executive order on artificial intelligence: a determination to nurture groundbreaking technology rather than stifle it in its infancy. History offers a potent example – the 1990s, when a largely hands-off approach to the burgeoning internet allowed America to seize global dominance while other nations struggled to keep pace.
Trump’s order echoes that earlier strategy, directly confronting a growing web of state-level AI regulations threatening to impede innovation at a critical juncture. This isn’t simply a competition for technological supremacy; it’s a contest with profound geopolitical implications. China is aggressively pursuing AI, channeling vast state resources into systems with clear applications in surveillance, censorship, and military strength.
Beijing operates with a singular, focused plan, unburdened by the internal debates and fragmented regulations that characterize the American system. The urgency is undeniable – the United States cannot afford to allow itself to be regulated into second place in this pivotal race. However, sheer speed isn’t enough to guarantee success or safeguard against potential harms.
Artificial intelligence represents a fundamentally different leap forward than the internet. While the internet connected people, AI *evaluates* them, making decisions that impact access to loans, employment opportunities, and even personal safety. Its power to scale is unprecedented, and its failures unfold with terrifying speed.
The lessons of the internet’s rapid expansion are stark. We initially celebrated its freedom and connectivity, only to later grapple with the consequences: eroded privacy, rampant manipulation, the rise of monopolies, and a constant barrage of disinformation. Washington’s delayed response left us scrambling to retrofit safeguards onto systems already deeply ingrained in our lives.
AI compresses that timeline from decades to years, intensifying the risks. Trump’s order rightly identifies the dangers of a fractured regulatory landscape across individual states. Yet, simply preempting state authority doesn’t automatically equate to protecting citizens. Without corresponding federal action, a regulatory vacuum will emerge, leaving individuals vulnerable.
In that vacuum, children could be exposed to predatory AI systems, workers displaced without support, and elections destabilized by sophisticated deepfakes. Crucially, life-altering decisions will be made by algorithms, shrouded in opacity and beyond challenge. China, meanwhile, is deliberately integrating AI with state surveillance, social scoring, and military strategy.
U.S. intelligence officials have warned that the stakes in this AI race are nothing less than existential. Losing isn’t merely about forfeiting tech jobs; it’s about surrendering strategic freedom itself. The true challenge lies in demonstrating that a free society can lead in AI development without sacrificing fundamental human values.
This requires decisive national leadership – not a patchwork of 50 state rulebooks, nor blind faith in technological progress. Trump’s call for speed and unity is a crucial first step. Now, Washington must deliver substantive federal guardrails that foster innovation while vigorously defending the rights and liberties of its citizens. To repeat the mistakes of the internet era – prioritizing speed over foresight – would be to win the race only to lose the country we are striving to protect.
