Trump cancels AI safety order after Musk, Zuckerberg, Sacks calls

The Trump administration scrapped a major executive order on AI safety just hours before its scheduled signing ceremony on Thursday, after the President received phone calls from xAI founder Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and venture capitalist David Sacks. The draft order, which had been developed internally, would have established a voluntary review system for advanced AI models. Companies would have been required to submit their new models to the Office of the National Cyber Director between 14 and 90 days before public release, aiming to protect critical infrastructure like banks and hospitals from cyber threats. The unreleased draft also included a plan to create a central repository for tracking security flaws in AI systems.

Trump decided to kill the order because he opposed certain sections and believed it would put the US at a competitive disadvantage against China in the AI race. Internal groups including the National Economic Council and the Vice President's office supported the move. Musk later posted on X denying any personal influence over the final decision, despite his direct call with Trump. Scrapping this order means the US currently has no formal federal strategy for managing the safety of powerful AI systems. The episode underscores how direct lobbying from top tech executives can abruptly halt regulatory efforts before they reach public scrutiny.