Trump delays AI security executive order: ‘I don’t want to get in the way of that leading’

President Donald Trump has delayed an executive order intended to allow government evaluation of AI models prior to their release. Trump expressed dissatisfaction with certain aspects of the order's wording, stating, "I didn't like certain aspects of it." He emphasized the importance of maintaining America's lead in AI, saying, "We're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I don't want to do anything that's going to get in the way of that leading."

Unofficial reports suggest that the delay was also influenced by the unavailability of various tech CEOs for a White House photo opportunity. This proposed executive order would have mandated the Office of the National Cyber Director and other agencies to establish a protocol for assessing AI model security before their public introduction.

The impetus for this order partly stems from concerns raised by the release of Anthropic's Mythos and OpenAI's GPT-5.5 Cyber, both of which have demonstrated capabilities in identifying and exploiting security vulnerabilities. A contentious point within the executive order's text, according to CNN, was a clause requiring AI companies to furnish advanced models to the government between 14 and 90 days before their official launch.

Trump voiced his apprehension that the order's language as it stood "could have been a blocker," potentially impeding the progress and innovation within the American AI sector.