NIST framework dismantled through Executive Order on AI deregulation

On 2025-01-24, President Trump signed Executive Order 15002, “Removing Barriers to American AI Innovation,” which revoked President Biden’s Executive Order 14110 on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy AI (White House Executive Order; Federal Register Revocation).

The order eliminated the requirement for government contractors to conduct red-team testing of AI models for bias, misinformation, and safety risks (NIST AI Risk Management Framework).

It defunded the U.S. AI Safety Institute and transferred its oversight authority to industry groups (Commerce Department Statement).

All federal requirements for companies to report AI bias testing results and demographic impact assessments were completely eliminated (Tech Policy Institute Analysis).

The order redirected $18 billion in federal AI research funding from government labs and universities to public-private partnerships led by major technology firms (Office of Science and Technology Policy; NSF Budget Analysis).

The United States withdrew from the Bletchley Park declaration on coordinated global AI oversight (UK Government Response).

Major technology CEOs attending the Jan. 25, 2025 White House AI summit praised the removal of “bureaucratic obstacles” to AI development (Reuters Tech Summit Coverage).

Supporters cited the First Amendment’s free speech clause to argue that federal AI safety regulations constitute impermissible prior restraint on protected expression (Federalist Society AI Paper).

Legal scholars at Stanford Law School contend that eliminating AI safety rules abandons the government’s constitutional responsibility to promote the general welfare (Stanford Law AI Policy Brief).