On July 23, 2025, the White House released a sweeping new policy framework titled “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan” (the “Plan”), describing the federal government’s approach to artificial intelligence (“AI”). This initiative, developed under the executive order, “Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI,” outlines a plan relating to various aspects of AI. With over 90 distinct proposed policy actions, the plan aims to accelerate domestic AI development, modernize critical infrastructure, foster innovation, drive economic growth, and counter geopolitical threats—particularly from China—through a combination of export controls, diplomatic engagement, and national security safeguards.
The Plan is structured around three core pillars—”Accelerating Innovation,” “Building AI Infrastructure,” and “Leading Globally”—but its scope extends well beyond these categories. It includes initiatives to promote open-source AI, streamline permitting for data centers, modernize the legal system for synthetic media, and strengthen export controls and biosecurity measures. Below is a summary of some of the key components and objectives outlined in the action plan.
Key Objectives
- Strengthening AI Research and Accelerating Innovation: To maintain global competitiveness, the Plan calls for increased investment in AI research and development, removing regulatory barriers to AI development, promoting open-source and open-weight models. It encourages adoption across sectors through pilot programs, public-private partnerships, and federal incentives aimed at accelerating breakthroughs in AI technologies.
- Addressing AI Governance and Regulation: The Plan directs federal agencies to remove or preempt rules that hinder AI development. Rather than introducing new regulatory frameworks, it focuses on removing barriers to development and using federal tools—like procurement, funding, and preemption—to shape AI development. It encourages coordination across agencies and promotes flexible policies that can adapt to rapid technological change.
- Promoting Responsible AI Development: The Plan emphasizes the importance of developing AI systems that are transparent, reliable, and aligned with national priorities. It supports the development of evaluation tools, testing infrastructure, interpretability research, and standards to ensure AI systems perform as intended and can be trusted in high-stakes applications. The Plan emphasizes accountability, factual accuracy, and the responsible deployment of advanced AI models.
- Fostering Collaboration and Partnerships: The Plan encourages collaboration among government, industry, and academia to accelerate AI innovation and deployment. It promotes shared infrastructure, pilot programs, and regulatory sandboxes to foster a robust ecosystem for knowledge exchange and real-world testing.
- Building AI Talent and Workforce Skills: A core objective of the Plan is to strengthen the U.S. workforce for an AI-driven economy. It includes initiatives to expand education and training programs, provide vocational training, support workforce transitions in sectors impacted by automation, and increase the supply of skilled workers—particularly in high-demand infrastructure roles—to ensure Americans are prepared for emerging opportunities in AI and related fields.
- Enhancing Data Infrastructure and Access: To support large-scale AI deployment, the Plan calls for modernizing the national power grid, streamlining permitting for data centers and semiconductor facilities, and expanding domestic chip manufacturing. It also includes initiatives to build a skilled workforce and enhance cybersecurity for critical infrastructure.
- Protect National Security and Global Leadership: The Plan outlines measures to assess and mitigate national security risks posed by advanced AI models, including threats related to biosecurity, cybersecurity, and foreign influence. It seeks to strengthen export controls on critical AI-enabling technologies, promote U.S. leadership in international AI standards, and support allied nations through secure AI infrastructure and model-sharing initiatives.
Implementation and Next Steps
The Plan sets forth a roadmap for implementation, including the establishment of monitoring mechanisms, regular progress assessments, and opportunities for stakeholder engagement. It highlights the need for adaptability and continuous improvement, with the goal that the Plan will evolve in response to new developments and emerging challenges in the AI landscape.
Although the Plan does not impose new statutory obligations, it may influence the regulatory and commercial landscape for AI in the United States, especially as it seeks to leverage federal funding, procurement, and export mechanisms. Businesses and developers should prepare for evolving compliance expectations and potential opportunities to engage with federal initiatives aimed at fostering innovation and infrastructure growth. They should also monitor developments closely and consider engaging in public comment opportunities as the policy landscape evolves.
Conclusion
We will continue to monitor developments, and as we learn more in the days, weeks, and likely months to come, we will provide additional commentary and insight on the implementation and implications of this Plan.