A draft executive order, expected to be announced on May 21 but suddenly put on hold, spells out President Donald Trump’s vision for artificial intelligence (AI), including cutting regulations, speeding up American tech innovation, and rolling back Biden-era regulations the administration deems burdensome.
The document, titled “Promoting Advanced Artificial Intelligence Innovation and Security,” was obtained by POLITICO.
It reads like a direct rebuke to the previous administration’s approach, which the draft calls “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,” the draft says.
The order puts U.S. leadership in AI front and center. It argues that America stays ahead because of homegrown talent and innovation, not government control.
At the same time, it acknowledges new risks to national security posed by powerful AI systems.
The goal, according to the text, is to work hand in hand with industry rather than slow it down.
One section that stands out for its aggressive timeline says that within 30 days, multiple agencies, including the departments of Defense, Homeland Security, and the Treasury, must beef up cybersecurity for government systems and critical infrastructure.
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That includes everything from military networks to rural hospitals, community banks, and local utilities.
The draft directs officials to roll out new tools, share AI-powered defenses, and set up a voluntary clearinghouse with industry to hunt for software bugs and deliver fixes quickly.
Another part focuses on what the order calls “covered frontier models,” the most advanced A.I systems.
It creates a voluntary process in which developers can share these models with the government for review up to 90 days before their wider release.
The point is to allow officials to assess major cybersecurity risks while protecting company secrets.
Crucially, the draft bends over backward to stress this is not mandatory. One line says nothing in the order should be read as creating “a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement” for new AI models.
That language appears designed to calm fears in Silicon Valley that the government wants veto power over new technology.
Why the AI Executive Order Was Postponed
The order was postponed after David Sacks, a top White House AI adviser, called Trump directly and warned that even a voluntary review process could hand China an edge in the global AI race.
Sacks was brought into the loop earlier in the week, and officials thought he supported the draft. His last-minute intervention reportedly caught some staff by surprise.
The leak comes amid ongoing tension inside the administration over how hard to push on AI security.
Earlier reporting showed clashes between Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and national cyber director Sean Cairncross over priorities and turf.
Trump has made clear since taking office that he wants America to dominate AI. He quickly scrapped Biden’s executive order on AI safety upon returning to the White House.
This new draft tries to strike a balance by promoting innovation while quietly hardening defenses against hackers and foreign adversaries.
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The draft also directs the Attorney General to crack down on the criminal use of AI, including hacking and data theft.
It calls for better hiring of cybersecurity specialists and directs federal grant funds toward vulnerability-detection tools.
In its closing sections, the order includes standard language making clear it doesn’t create new legal rights and must be carried out within existing budgets and laws.
It is dated only as “May XX, 2026,” showing it was still a work in progress when it leaked.
The postponement has left some in tech and government wondering how aggressive the final policy will be.
Trump has repeatedly said he wants the U.S. to win the AI race against China. This draft shows his team trying to do so by betting on speed, private-sector leadership, and lighter regulation.
