On October 30, 2023, President Biden signed Executive Order 14110. This was a bold move to position the United States as the leader in safe, secure, and ethical AI development. This order is more than just policy. It’s a clear, actionable strategy to unlock AI’s potential. It ensures AI respects privacy, civil rights, and public safety. It’s about innovation with accountability, progress with trust, and leadership that aligns with democratic values.

What the Executive Order Sets Out to Do

Fuel AI Innovation Without Compromising Safety

The order aims to create a competitive AI ecosystem. It drives groundbreaking advancement. The goal is to keep fairness and safety front and center. It’s about staying ahead globally while ensuring the responsible and ethical development of AI systems.

Create Clear Safety and Security Guidelines

AI development can’t be a free-for-all. This order requires strict safety and security standards to prevent misuse. This is crucial in sensitive areas like national security and public safety. These guidelines make AI systems reliable, accountable, and aligned with core democratic principles.

Protect Privacy and Civil Rights

AI should work for people, not against them. The order addresses issues like bias, discrimination, and the misuse of sensitive data. By prioritizing fairness and privacy, it ensures AI serves individuals and respects their rights.

Strengthen Global Collaboration

The U.S. isn’t going it alone. This order emphasizes international partnerships to build shared frameworks for AI safety and ethics. Working with allies—including the EU—helps set global standards for AI governance that focus on security, responsibility, and fairness.

Put the Government in the Lead

Federal agencies are taking charge of AI adoption. Each agency will appoint a Chief AI Officer. The officer will oversee development. This ensures that systems meet high standards for transparency, accountability, and ethical use.

What’s Happening Right Now?

This Executive Order isn’t just a collection of promises—it’s already delivering real action. Here’s what we’re seeing:

1. The Department of Defense (DoD) has become serious about AI safety. It has started rolling out rigorous safety and testing frameworks for AI systems. These frameworks ensure the technology is dependable and secure. They are particularly important for defense and intelligence operations. Building trust in AI starts with reliability, and these efforts are a major step forward.
2. Privacy-Protecting AI Tools Are in Play
   Advanced tools are being implemented to secure sensitive data. Techniques like encryption and frameworks designed with privacy in mind are essential. These measures ensure AI systems protect citizens’ information without cutting corners.
3. Partnering Globally for AI Governance
   The U.S. is working closely with allies—especially the EU—to develop shared standards for AI safety and ethics. By collaborating on global frameworks, the U.S. helps lead efforts to ensure AI advances responsibly on an international scale.
4. Federal Risk Assessments Are Underway
   Federal agencies have already begun conducting AI risk assessments. These evaluations identify and address vulnerabilities in critical areas like cybersecurity and public safety. The goal? To ensure AI systems perform as intended without unintended consequences.

Criticisms and Challenges

Despite the ambitious goals of Executive Order 14110, significant concerns have been raised about its effectiveness. Critics point out the creation of additional government positions and oversight roles as one of the most glaring issues. They argue this only contributes to bureaucratic bloat and increases government spending. This is particularly concerning given the nation’s already substantial budget deficit. The appointment of Chief AI Officers across federal agencies is intended to streamline governance. However, it risks becoming another layer of administration with little tangible impact.

Another major issue is the slow pace of implementation. AI advancements in the private sector are moving at breakneck speed. Meanwhile, the rollout of the order’s policies has been limited and delayed. Federal initiatives like risk assessments and international agreements are important. However, they are happening too slowly to match the urgency required for real progress.

This disconnect between the speed of AI innovation and the government’s ability to act raises doubts. People question whether these policies will be effective at all. Critics argue that while the order promotes leadership and innovation, it primarily consists of incremental moves. These moves won’t keep the U.S. competitive in a global AI race.

Final Thoughts

Executive Order 14110 sets out to create a framework for safe and ethical AI, but its impact remains uncertain. The focus on safety, privacy, and ethics is commendable, but the execution so far has been slow and heavily bureaucratic. While the U.S. attempts to lead on AI governance, its efforts may be falling behind the rapid advancements in the AI industry.

To make this order truly effective, there needs to be a sharper focus on streamlining actions. It is important to reduce unnecessary oversight. Fostering real innovation that empowers the AI industry is a must—not burden it. Until then, the gap between government action and industry progress risks widening, leaving the U.S. at a disadvantage in a technology race it cannot afford to lose.

President-Elect Trump has created the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). This initiative’s advancements seem to be a prime target for removal. The initial Presidential Order wanted to put the government in front of Artificial Intelligence. However, the best approach now seems to be to remove this order. Streamlining the governmental process would be more effective. Doing this would show actual governmental action in an effort to catch up with the industry’s breakneck advancement speed.