With less than a week until the 2024 presidential election, the future of AI regulation in America remains uncertain as Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump offer starkly different visions for governing artificial intelligence. Business Insider consulted five experts from government and private sector backgrounds to analyze how each administration might approach AI policy.
The regulatory divide is clear: Trump is expected to take a deregulatory approach, while Harris would likely continue the Biden administration’s regulatory framework. However, both candidates have been criticized for lacking detailed AI policy positions. “It’s a shame that we’re a week away from an election and we don’t have a detailed AI policy agenda from either candidate,” said John Bailey, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
The most significant point of contention centers on Biden’s October 2023 executive order on AI regulation. Trump has committed to repealing this sweeping directive, which conservatives argue constitutes government overreach that could stifle innovation. The Republican party platform explicitly states plans to “repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation.” Beyond this promise, Trump has offered few concrete AI policy details, though his 2019 executive order did instruct federal agencies to prioritize AI research.
Experts note that Trump’s immigration policies could significantly impact the AI sector, as the immigration of skilled workers is crucial in the AI race against China. “If Trump ends up being the agent of chaos that many of us anticipate he will be, that’ll have the biggest impact on AI, more so than specific policies,” said Oren Etzioni, founder of a nonprofit fighting political deepfakes.
Harris, with her California tech industry roots, played a significant role in Biden’s AI efforts, meeting with tech leaders and representing the administration at global AI safety summits. Her policy handbook commits to honoring Biden’s executive order and includes an “America Forward” strategy focusing on strengthening AI technology and scaling up the National AI Research Resource to support startups and researchers.
Darrell West from the Brookings Institute emphasized the importance of this issue: “There should be more attention paid to what the candidates do in the AI area, just because it’s such an important space.” The Biden administration recently published a national security memorandum directing the Pentagon and intelligence agencies to increase AI use, demonstrating the technology’s growing importance in government operations.
Key Quotes
It’s a shame that we’re a week away from an election and we don’t have a detailed AI policy agenda from either candidate
John Bailey, a nonresident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, expressed frustration at the lack of specific AI policy proposals from both Trump and Harris, highlighting a critical gap in campaign platforms despite AI’s growing importance.
There should be more attention paid to what the candidates do in the AI area, just because it’s such an important space. But neither Trump nor Harris have been very detailed in outlining their policies.
Darrell West, senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, emphasized the significance of AI policy while noting the concerning absence of detailed positions from either candidate on this crucial technology issue.
If Trump ends up being the agent of chaos that many of us anticipate he will be, that’ll have the biggest impact on AI, more so than specific policies.
Oren Etzioni, founder of a nonprofit fighting political deepfakes and former CEO of the Allen Institute on AI, suggested that Trump’s broader governing style and immigration policies could affect AI development more than narrow regulatory decisions.
I think that regulating a fast moving technology is challenging, and I would say that it’s well intentioned, but the road to regulatory hell is paved with good intentions
Etzioni offered a nuanced critique of Biden’s executive order on AI, acknowledging its good intentions while warning about the risks of heavy-handed regulation of rapidly evolving technology.
Our Take
The absence of detailed AI policy platforms from both candidates reveals a troubling disconnect between political leadership and technological reality. AI is not a future concern—it’s reshaping society now, from employment to national security. The binary choice between Trump’s deregulation and Harris’s regulatory continuity oversimplifies a complex challenge that demands nuanced, expert-driven policy.
What’s particularly concerning is how Silicon Valley executives are heavily investing in this election while the candidates themselves remain vague on specifics. This suggests AI policy may be shaped more by private sector lobbying than public interest. The immigration angle Etzioni raises is crucial and often overlooked—America’s AI dominance depends on attracting global talent, making restrictive immigration policies potentially more damaging than any regulatory framework. Ultimately, the quality of AI advisors each candidate appoints may matter more than their campaign rhetoric, making personnel decisions the real policy to watch.
Why This Matters
This election will fundamentally shape America’s AI competitiveness on the global stage, particularly against China, at a critical moment when artificial intelligence is transforming every sector of the economy. The regulatory approach chosen will determine whether the United States prioritizes rapid innovation or safety guardrails, affecting billions of dollars in AI investments and the development trajectory of transformative technologies.
The stakes extend beyond Silicon Valley boardrooms. AI regulation will impact job markets, national security, privacy rights, and technological sovereignty. A deregulatory Trump approach could accelerate AI development but potentially at the cost of safety oversight, while Harris’s continuation of Biden’s framework would provide regulatory certainty but might slow innovation. The immigration dimension adds another layer of complexity—restrictive policies could hamper America’s ability to attract top AI talent, directly undermining competitiveness regardless of regulatory stance. With AI evolving at breakneck speed and neither candidate offering comprehensive policy details, businesses, researchers, and workers face significant uncertainty about the rules that will govern this transformative technology for the next four years.
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Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-harris-presidency-impact-ai-artificial-intelligence-2024-10