Trump’s Executive Order on artificial intelligence doesn’t “remove barriers” — it removes conscience. It doesn’t unleash innovation — it unleashes risk. Beneath its swaggering title lies a dangerous truth: this is a blueprint for building unchecked, unaccountable AI — in the image of power, not people.

By revoking Executive Order 14110, which emphasized safe, secure, and trustworthy AI, Trump has gutted the very guardrails that keep us from automating harm at scale. That order wasn't a hindrance to innovation; it was the bare minimum acknowledgment that AI, if left unregulated, will replicate and amplify every bias, every injustice, every structural inequality society hasn’t yet fixed. But Trump sees those protections not as safeguards — he sees them as shackles.

And for what? So the U.S. can chase “global dominance” with AI systems unburdened by ethical oversight, public accountability, or concern for fairness. This isn’t leadership — it’s techno-nationalism, weaponized by political ideology.

What’s truly chilling is the language in this order: “ideological bias,” “engineered social agendas,” and “conformity.” These are dog whistles for dismantling efforts to make AI inclusive, equitable, and human-centred. Trump isn’t fighting censorship — he’s fighting diversity. He doesn’t want bias removed from AI — he wants his bias codified in its code.

Under this order, AI governance becomes a political game, not a public duty. Scientists, ethicists, and civil rights advocates are replaced by crypto advisors, security hawks, and White House loyalists. And in the name of innovation, the government will now actively purge any past directive that prioritized human safety, labour protections, algorithmic transparency, or environmental responsibility.

This isn’t innovation. It’s institutionalized irresponsibility.

The United States doesn’t lead by bulldozing the principles that make progress meaningful. It doesn’t lead by building smarter machines to serve the same old power structures. It leads by ensuring that technology serves people — not profits, not politics, and certainly not propaganda.

This executive order isn’t a commitment to American excellence. It’s a warning that under Trump, our AI future is up for sale — and our values are the first thing on the chopping block.