White House Gives Federal Agencies Greater Flexibility in Adopting AI

Federal agencies now have greater flexibility in adopting artificial intelligence (AI), the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) said Monday (April 7).

The OMB released two revised policies on federal agencies’ use of AI and federal procurement Monday, at the direction of President Donald Trump’s Jan. 23 executive order to remove barriers to American leadership in AI, according to a White House press release.

One memo, “Accelerating Federal Use of AI through Innovation, Governance, and Public Trust” (M-25-21), gives agencies tools they can use to embrace AI while protecting Americans’ rights, according to a fact sheet released Monday.

The memo tasks agencies’ chief AI officers with promoting adoption of the technology, requires agencies to track their progress and needs around AI, and maximize the use of American AI when adding AI solutions.

It rescinds and replaces an earlier OMB memo, “Advancing Governance, Innovation, and Risk Management for Agency Use of Artificial Intelligence” (M-24-10), according to the Monday memo.

The second memo, “Driving Efficient Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government” (M-25-22), provides federal agencies with guidance on how they can acquire best-in-class AI “quickly, competitively, and responsibly,” according to the fact sheet.

The memo requires agencies to maximize the use of American AI, avoid vendor lock-in and use performance-based techniques to best harness the technology.

It rescinds and replaces the earlier OMB memo “Advancing the Responsible Acquisition of Artificial Intelligence in Government” (M-24-18), per the Monday memo.

“Under President Trump’s leadership, America is well-positioned to maintain its global dominance in artificial intelligence (AI) domination,” the fact sheet said.

The fact sheet gave three examples of how federal agencies are already using AI. It said the Department of Veterans Affairs uses AI to help detect pulmonary nodules during lung cancer screening exams; the Department of Justice uses AI to support drug trafficking investigations; and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration uses AI to help the Mars2020 Rover navigate the terrain on Mars with limited direction from Earth.

Trump was expected to loosen or repeal former President Joe Biden’s AI regulations after taking his oath of office in January, PYMNTS reported at the time.

His publicly stated views are encapsulated in the Republican National Committee’s 2024 platform, which said Biden’s AI policy “hinders AI innovation.”

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