Tonight, Trump will announce the "AI Action Plan," "focusing on carrots rather than sticks"?

Trump's AI Action Plan will focus on three core pillars: infrastructure, innovation, and global impact, emphasizing a policy orientation of "carrots rather than sticks," primarily promoting AI development through incentives rather than regulation.

Written by: Long Yue

Source: Wall Street Journal

The artificial intelligence policy blueprint of the Trump administration is about to be officially unveiled.

U.S. President Trump will release the long-awaited "AI Action Plan" at the "Winning the AI Race" event in Washington on Wednesday local time. According to informed sources, this 20-page document will focus on three main pillars: infrastructure, innovation, and global impact, primarily implemented through directives to federal agencies and some funding programs.

According to the latest media reports, those familiar with the situation stated that the plan "is mainly carrots rather than sticks," emphasizing the promotion of AI development through incentives rather than relying on strict regulations. This marks a fundamental shift in AI policy from the Trump administration compared to the previous Biden administration.

The action plan will focus on removing regulatory barriers, simplifying data center construction permits, and promoting the overseas application of American AI technology. The framework is expected to be accompanied by the release of three executive orders, targeting "woke AI," promoting U.S. technology exports, and simplifying data center construction processes.

Infrastructure construction has become a policy priority

The first major pillar of the AI Action Plan focuses on AI infrastructure development. The plan emphasizes the importance of reforming licensing rules to simplify the establishment of new data centers, while also focusing on grid modernization, including the addition of new power sources.

This priority has been clearly reflected in the policies during the first six months of the Trump administration. Trump had previously strongly promoted large-scale private investments to expand AI infrastructure, including the $500 billion "StarGate" project. Last week, Trump promoted a total of $92 billion in energy and data center investments from companies such as Google, Coreweave, and Blackstone in Pennsylvania.

The plan will also focus on strengthening the cybersecurity protection of critical infrastructure to ensure the safe deployment of AI technology.

Innovation-oriented replaces regulatory constraints

The second major pillar of the action plan emphasizes that the United States needs to lead the world in innovation. Reportedly, this section will focus on removing red tape and reintroducing the idea of preventing states from regulating AI—although this is primarily a symbolic gesture, as the White House's ability to guide state actions is limited.

In fact, the White House quickly established a stance to abandon the regulatory focus of the Biden administration as early as January. Trump revoked former President Biden's executive order on "AI guardrails" within days of taking office, and U.S. Vice President Vance criticized the "overregulation of the AI industry" during his first international appearance.

The U.S. government's plan to remove AI regulations also includes targeting state laws that are deemed too strict. The plan aims to address these regulations by limiting federal AI funding and requiring the Federal Communications Commission to determine whether these regulations violate its responsibilities.

AI Competition Intensifies

According to reports, the third major pillar of the AI action plan will emphasize the importance of spreading American AI technology globally.

U.S. officials are feeling fear and anxiety about China's powerful AI, and policymakers are eager to ensure that U.S. allies and other countries around the world adopt American AI models.

The plan will also warn other countries not to undermine the ability of American companies to develop AI, and encourage the development of so-called "open-weight" AI models, allowing developers to download, modify, and run the models locally.

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy spokesperson Victoria LaCivita stated: "This action plan will provide a strong, specific, and actionable federal policy roadmap... We look forward to releasing it soon."

Avoiding Industry Controversies

This 20-page AI action plan largely conveys a policy signal of "non-intervention" and "pro-growth." However, it is noteworthy that the plan seems intentionally designed to avoid landmines.

A previous article from Wall Street Insights stated that a source familiar with the matter said the plan is unlikely to delve into thorny issues such as copyright concerns regarding AI-generated content or require developers to enhance the transparency of AI models. This "light-touch" regulatory framework aims to provide maximum space for corporate innovation and reduce compliance burdens, but it may also allow these unresolved industry disputes to continue to fester.