For the 21st century, the United States has led the world in every major technological breakthrough, a record that has secured our nation’s place as an economic and political leader. This leadership has never been about technology alone — it has been about values. Our innovations embody the ideals of free speech, individual rights and transparency. Why would we risk ceding that role now?
Once the undisputed global leader in AI research and development, the United States has seen its lead shrink as China has aggressively closed the gap. The reason is simple: Rather than celebrating and encouraging American dominance, too many U.S. policymakers have been plotting to regulate — indeed, to overregulate — our domestic tech industry. Some have spent years clutching their pearls over the size of our innovative and iconic companies such as Google, Amazon and Apple.
Meanwhile, China has advanced a centralized, authoritarian model for AI development — one that uses technology not to expand freedom but to control it. At the same time, U.S. policymakers have taken their eye off the ball.
As of July 23, that changed. That’s when President Trump released the comprehensive American AI Action Plan designed to ensure that the United States remains the global leader in AI while protecting the values that define us. The plan outlines clear policies for how America will innovate rapidly while preserving the freedoms that enable innovation.
The stakes could not be higher. China’s AI plan explicitly forbids using AI to criticize the government — a direct assault on free speech. It is a chilling reminder of how authoritarian regimes see artificial intelligence: not as a tool to empower individuals but as a mechanism of censorship and control. If America does not lead, this authoritarian vision will set the global standard. The American AI Action Plan makes clear that it will not.
Critical to this effort is ensuring openness. The plan encourages the development of open-source and open-weight AI — free-to-use systems that anyone can access without government or corporate gatekeepers deciding who gets to participate. This is how America can ensure that AI is shaped not by censorship and control but by innovation and freedom.
The plan also commits to removing bureaucratic red tape that has slowed progress, including rescinding a restrictive executive order that empowered Washington to micromanage AI development in ways that risked handing the advantage to authoritarian regimes.
Of course, leadership is not just about technology — it’s also about people. The Action Plan acknowledges concerns that AI could displace workers and urges the departments of Labor and Commerce to upskill and retrain Americans so that AI enhances work rather than replacing it. This is a model of freedom in practice: people working with technology, not being replaced by it.
The plan also acknowledges risks to privacy and security. With China-linked cyberattacks up 150 percent in 2024, America cannot afford to let its technological systems remain vulnerable.The Action Plan commits to deploying AI as part of America’s cyber military arsenal, while ensuring AI is secure, with oversight led by the Department of Defense and other relevant agencies.
The American AI Action Plan is more than a blueprint for growth. It is a statement of principle: In the race to lead the digital future, the values of freedom, openness and free expression must prevail over authoritarian control. The United States cannot sit back and allow any adversary to dictate the rules of the digital age.
In the global race for AI, the question is not who will lead but whose values will shape the future. By investing in innovation, protecting workers, safeguarding privacy and defending free speech, the AI Action Plan positions the United States to remain the world’s technological leader and ensure that leadership reflects American values.