The debate over White House AI policy just hit a boiling point.
More than 10,000 comments from individuals, tech companies, trade groups, and local governments have poured into the White House, weighing in on the administration’s draft AI Action Plan. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published the complete archive on Thursday—an eye-popping 18,480 pages of submissions now public record.
The surge of feedback comes on the heels of President Donald Trump’s dramatic shift in AI governance, repealing the Biden-era Executive Order that emphasized algorithmic accountability, fairness, and bias mitigation. In its place, Trump signed a new directive focused on “ideological neutrality,” economic growth, and national security, with no mention of AI discrimination or ethical guardrails.
Copyright and AI: Creative Work at Risk?
One of the loudest concerns in the public comments: copyright infringement.
Artists, writers, and advocacy groups called out what they see as the exploitation of human creativity by AI models trained on massive datasets scraped from the internet, often without consent or compensation. Many demanded stronger copyright protections to guard against what they call “uncompensated labor” that fuels generative AI.
On the flip side, tech giants and venture capital firms like Andreessen Horowitz pushed back, accusing rightsholders of stifling innovation and slowing progress in AI development.
Tech leaders like Google and OpenAI have long lobbied for clearer and more favorable rules around AI training data, arguing that current copyright laws are outdated in the age of machine learning.
Tariffs and Infrastructure: Will AI Growth Be Stalled?
Beyond intellectual property, many commenters warned that Trump’s sweeping tariffs on foreign goods could kneecap domestic AI progress. The Data Center Coalition warned that tariffs on key components like GPUs, server racks, and cooling systems “will limit and slow” AI infrastructure expansion in the U.S.
Industry advocacy group ITI, which represents companies like Microsoft, Intel, and Amazon, urged the administration to pursue “smart tariffs” that protect U.S. interests without triggering retaliatory trade wars.
Funding Cuts Draw Fire
Multiple submissions slammed recent cuts to scientific research grants, an area where AI innovation heavily depends. Groups like the American Academy of Nursing and the Future of Life Institute called for increased federal investment in AI R&D, warning that the U.S. risks falling behind global competitors.
The criticism also extended to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, whose cost-cutting agenda includes major reductions in federal science funding. Some commenters called these cuts “short-sighted” and “dangerous.”
AI Censorship vs. Bias: The Political Flashpoint
While the bulk of submissions focused on regulation, infrastructure, and funding, a smaller but vocal minority zeroed in on what they called “AI censorship.”
Prominent figures like Elon Musk and David Sacks, now leading roles in the administration’s AI push, claim that popular models like ChatGPT suppress conservative viewpoints. This allegation continues to fuel the administration’s call for AI “neutrality,” though experts note that bias in AI is a technical challenge, not a partisan conspiracy.
Ironically, Musk’s own chatbot from xAI has also struggled with maintaining political neutrality, revealing the complexity of building “unbiased” large language models.
The New AI Policy Architects
President Trump has quickly built a new AI brain trust in recent months. Michael Kratsios, now confirmed as OSTP Director, previously handled AI policy during Trump’s first term. And Sriram Krishnan, a former VC and trusted advisor to Elon Musk, is now the White House Senior AI Policy Advisor.
This new team is expected to play a key role in finalizing the White House AI policy, which could reshape everything from how AI models are trained to how copyright, tariffs, and ethics are enforced.
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