Trump's call for AI deregulation gets strong backing from Big Tech

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has shifted focus toward accelerating AI development at all costs.

Major tech firms are pushing the administration of President Donald Trump to loosen rules on building artificial intelligence, arguing it is the only way to maintain a US edge and compete with China.

Spooked by generative AI's sudden advance, governments initially scrambled to develop guardrails, as major tech companies rapidly integrated the technology into their products.

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has shifted focus toward accelerating AI development at all costs, pushing aside concerns about the models suffering hallucinations, producing deepfakes, or destroying human jobs.

"The AI future is not going to be won by hand-wringing about safety," Vice President JD Vance told world leaders at a recent AI summit in Paris.

This message unsettled international partners, particularly Europe, which had proudly established the EU AI Act as a new standard for keeping the technology in check.

But, faced with America's new direction, European officials are now pivoting their messaging toward investment and innovation rather than safety.

"We're going to see a significant pullback in terms of the regulatory efforts... worldwide," explained David Danks, professor of data science and philosophy at University of California San Diego.