Trump Unveils Aggressive AI Plan: Prioritizing Deregulation Over Copyright Payments

President Donald Trump has outlined a sweeping new approach to artificial intelligence (AI), characterized by a strong emphasis on deregulation and a firm rejection of mandatory copyright payments for AI training data. Speaking at a recent AI Summit in Washington, the former president articulated his administration’s vision, asserting that requiring AI firms to compensate for copyrighted content used in model training would significantly impede innovation and jeopardize American leadership in the global AI race.

Trump dismissed the concept of AI companies paying for every piece of copyrighted material—be it a book, article, or media asset—used in their development. He likened this process to an individual acquiring knowledge through reading, a practice not subject to royalties or contract negotiations. The core argument is that such stringent financial requirements would put the United States at a disadvantage against global competitors, particularly China, which does not enforce similar intellectual property rules for AI training.

America’s AI Action Plan: A Shift in Strategy

The Washington summit also served as the launchpad for “America’s AI Action Plan,” a comprehensive initiative from the White House. Released on July 23, the 28-page document signals a marked departure from the previous Biden administration’s approach to artificial intelligence. While the former administration focused on safeguards, risk management, and consumer protections, Trump’s blueprint champions the removal of regulatory barriers and an unequivocal push for national competitiveness and technological dominance.

The action plan encompasses approximately 90 recommendations designed to accelerate AI innovation, bolster domestic infrastructure, and secure the United States’ leadership in burgeoning international markets. A central tenet of the strategy is a rapid increase in American AI technology exports, particularly to allied nations. The Trump administration intends to encourage federal agencies to collaborate with industry consortia on “full-stack” export packages, integrating software, hardware, data solutions, and technical standards.

Streamlining Infrastructure and Federal Oversight

To facilitate AI at scale, the plan advocates for fast-tracking new data center construction. This includes easing long-standing environmental regulations, opening up federal land, and streamlining permit approvals nationwide. The administration also seeks to exempt data centers from specific provisions of major environmental laws to ensure infrastructure development keeps pace with the soaring electricity demands of the AI and cloud computing sectors.

Furthermore, the plan outlines a federal strategy to preempt state-level regulations deemed overly restrictive for AI businesses. Trump has consistently maintained that a single national standard should govern the future of American AI, rather than a fragmented patchwork of state-specific rules. The document suggests that federal funding for AI-related projects may be withheld from states that pursue aggressive regulatory frameworks. Additionally, the plan encourages federal bodies like the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to review—and potentially challenge—state and legal actions considered unduly burdensome to innovation.

Addressing Bias and Digital Authenticity

A notable directive within the action plan mandates that federal contracts for large language models and other high-impact AI systems be awarded exclusively to companies whose technologies are considered free from “top-down ideological bias.” The White House aims to remove requirements related to diversity, equity, inclusion, misinformation, and climate change from official AI risk management frameworks, positioning the federal government as a defender of “objective truth” and “free speech” in the AI era.

Despite Trump’s vocal remarks on intellectual property, the action plan itself does not directly provide clear guidance on the issue of AI copyright payments, leaving such legal questions to be resolved in the courts. However, the plan does address the growing concern of deepfakes—manipulated audio, video, and images. It calls for new federal guidance and a “voluntary forensic framework” to assist courts in assessing the authenticity of digital evidence.

Rescinding Previous Regulations and Global Influence

The initiative also rescinds several Biden-era rules perceived as impediments to AI development, including restrictions on the export of advanced chips and executive orders targeting misinformation. This policy shift is intended to empower leading US technology firms, such as Nvidia, AMD, Google, Microsoft, and Meta, to more freely deploy their technologies worldwide, thereby reinforcing American influence in what Trump describes as a defining competition of the 21st century.