Biden signs executive order to regulate generative AI
It might not be a permanent law, but AI experts say it's a step in the right direction


After months of speculation about how the United States would approach the regulation of generative artificial intelligence, President Joe Biden revealed a comprehensive executive order aimed at AI on Monday. The order, which CNBC pointed out is "the U.S. government’s first action of its kind," requires "new safety assessments, equity and civil rights guidance and research on AI's impact on the labor market."
The order outlines eight key goals, per The Verge: to create new standards for AI safety and security; protect privacy; advance equity and civil rights; prioritize consumers, patients, and students; support workers; promote innovation and competition; advance U.S. leadership in AI technologies; and ensure the responsible and effective government use of the technology.
Under the order, several federal agencies will be tasked with creating safety standards for developing AI, establishing best practices for authentication, and building cybersecurity programs. The National Institute of Standards and Technology will work on developing standards for AI "red-teaming," or stress testing the systems' defenses. The Department of Commerce will be in charge of establishing standards for watermarking AI-generated content.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Biden's executive order represents "the strongest set of actions any government in the world has ever taken on AI safety, security, and trust," White House Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed said in a statement. The order comes after 15 tech companies, including Meta, Google, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Adobe, voluntarily committed to allow outside testing of their AI products before they're released to the public, CNN noted. It also comes right before Vice President Kamala Harris joins an AI safety summit hosted by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in the United Kingdom.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Theara Coleman has worked as a staff writer at The Week since September 2022. She frequently writes about technology, education, literature and general news. She was previously a contributing writer and assistant editor at Honeysuckle Magazine, where she covered racial politics and cannabis industry news.
-
'Beyond this damage lies something more insidious'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Israel approves plan to take over Gaza indefinitely
speed read Benjamin Netanyahu says the country is 'on the eve of a forceful entry'
-
Hollywood confounded by Trump's film tariff idea
speed read President Trump proposed a '100% tariff' on movies 'produced in foreign lands'
-
Trump offers migrants $1,000 to 'self-deport'
speed read The Department of Homeland Security says undocumented immigrants can leave the US in a more 'dignified way'
-
Trump is not sure he must follow the Constitution
speed read When asked about due process for migrants in a TV interview, President Trump said he didn't know whether he had to uphold the Fifth Amendment
-
Trump judge bars deportations under 1798 law
speed read A Trump appointee has ruled that the president's use of a wartime act for deportations is illegal
-
Trump ousts Waltz as NSA, taps him for UN role
speed read President Donald Trump removed Mike Waltz as national security adviser and nominated him as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations
-
Trump blames Biden for tariffs-linked contraction
speed read The US economy shrank 0.3% in the first three months of 2025, the Commerce Department reported
-
Trump says he could bring back Ábgego García but won't
Speed Read At a rally to mark his 100th day in office, the president doubled down on his unpopular immigration and economic policies
-
Canada's Liberals, Carney win national election
Speed Read The party of Prime Minister Mark Carney beat Conservative Pierre Poilievre thanks in part to Trump's trade war