Donald Trump has delayed signing a planned executive order focused on AI security evaluations, saying parts of the proposal “could have been a blocker” for America’s leadership in artificial intelligence.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he was unhappy with certain aspects of the executive order’s language, arguing that the United States is currently ahead of rivals like China in AI development and should avoid policies that could slow innovation.
The proposed executive order would have directed multiple government agencies, including the Office of the National Cyber Director, to create a process for reviewing advanced AI models before public release. The move reportedly came amid growing concerns surrounding increasingly powerful systems such as Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s GPT-5.5 Cyber, both of which are said to be capable of rapidly identifying and exploiting cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
One of the most controversial sections of the proposal involved requiring AI companies to provide advanced models to the U.S. government between 14 and 90 days before launch for security evaluation. According to reports, this provision became a major sticking point during discussions surrounding the order.
Trump stated that he did not want the policy to interfere with America’s competitive advantage in AI, emphasizing concerns that excessive oversight could slow progress while other countries continue advancing aggressively.
Reports also suggested that another reason for the delay was logistical, as several major technology CEOs were reportedly unable to travel to Washington, D.C. on short notice ahead of the planned announcement ceremony.
