By https://www.theguardian.com/profile/morgan-ofori
Publication Date: 2026-05-22 11:24:00
Trump postpones executive order on AI, citing need to maintain ‘edge’ over China
The US President Donald Trump postponed signing an executive order on AI because he did not like certain aspects of it and did not want to take steps that could undermine the US position in AI competition with China.
The order would create a voluntary framework for AI developers to work with the U.S. government before publicly releasing advanced AI models, two sources familiar with the order told Reuters.
“I think it hinders us, you know, we lead China, we lead everyone, and I don’t want to do anything that gets in the way of that lead,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
Trump did not specify which parts of the executive order he objected to.
This came after Trump became the first US president to visit China in almost a decade and described his meeting with his counterpart Xi Jinping as “very successful”.
The administration’s plans were…
