According to the Trump administration, an Executive Order issued by former President Joe Biden which set rules for AI development and deployment has been rescinded. Since then, the government is no longer regulating this technology.
In an over three-hour hearing before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, executive like Openai Chief Executive Officer Sam Altman AMD Ceo smooths her,””https://www.coreweave.com/” ” rel=””noreferrer noopener”” target=””_blank” “> Michael Intrator, co-founder of Coreweave and CEO and Microsoft Vice-Chair and President Brad Smith urged the policymakers to ease up on the process of building infrastructure for AI development.
They told policymakers that accelerating the permitting process could make building new power plants to energize the data centers and chip fabricators vital in shoring-up the AI Tech Stack, and keeping the country’s competitive against China. They also discussed the need for more skilled workers, such as electricians, to ease software talent immigration and encourage “AI diffusion”or the adoption generative AI models both in the U.S. Altman, who had just visited the $500 billion Stargate project of the company in Texas, told Senators that the U.S. was leading the charge on AI, but needed more infrastructure, such as power plants, to fuel its next stage.
I believe that the next decade will revolve around abundant intelligence and abundant power. Altman stated that it is crucial to ensure that America is at the forefront of both revolutions, and that we can usher in this dual revolution that will change our world in a positive way.
This hearing took place as the Trump administration was determining the level of influence that the government would have in the AI field. Ted Cruz, the Texas senator who chairs the committee, proposed a regulatory sandbox for AI. Microsoft’s Smith stated in his
Written testimony states that American AI companies must continue to innovate because “it is a race no company or nation can win alone.”
Supporting the AI Tech Stack
Microsoft’s Smith presented the AI Tech Stack which he said showed how important each segment is for innovation.
We’re all in it together. Smith said that if the United States wants to lead the world in AI it needs infrastructure, platform success, and people who can create applications.
He added, “Innovation will go faster with more infrastructure, faster permitting and more electricians.”
AMD’s Su reiterated that “maintaining our lead actually requires excellence at every layer of the stack.”
“I think open ecosystems are really a cornerstone of U.S. leadership, and that allows ideas to come from everywhere and every part of the innovation sector,” Su said. “It’s reducing barriers to entry and strengthening security as well as creating a competitive marketplace for ideas.”
With AI models needing more and more GPUs for training, the need to improve the production of chips, build more data centers, and find ways to power them has become even more critical. The Chips and Science Act, a Biden-era law, was The goal was to jumpstart the semiconductor production in the U.S. but the process of making the chips needed to power the most powerful models in the world locally has proven to be slow and costly.
In the last few months, companies such as Cerebras announced plans to build additional data centers to process model training and inference.
A break from current policy
During the hearing, the majority of Republican senators made it clear that the Trump administration preferred not to regulate AI, preferring instead a more hands-off, market-driven approach. This administration has also pushed businesses to use American products and create jobs in the United States.
The executives stated that in order for American AI companies to remain competitive they need to have access to international talent, and more importantly, clear export policy so that models made in the U.S. are attractive to other countries.
We need to accelerate adoption, or what is called AI diffusion. Smith said that the ability to use AI in every sector of the American economy, to boost productivity, economic growth, and to allow people to innovate, was key. “If America wants to lead the world, it’s important that we connect with the rest of the world.” Our global leadership depends on our ability serve the world and to maintain the trust of the other countries.
Altman added, “There will great chips and models around the globe,” reiterating American firms’ leading position in this space.
There is some good news regarding AI diffusion. While the hearing was taking place, the Commerce Department released a report that outlined the progress made in this area. It was announced that it would be modifying rules of the Biden Administration which limited which countries were allowed to receive chips made by American firms. The rule was to go into effect on May 15, 2009. While executives agreed that government standards would be beneficial, they criticized any move to “preapprove” model releases similar to the EU.
Open ecosystem
The regulation of Generative AI occupies an ambiguous space. One hand, the relative lack of rules has enabled companies like OpenAI develop technology without fear of repercussions. AI, just like the internet and social networks before it, has a profound impact on people’s professional and personal lives.
The executives in some ways departed from the way the Trump administration has positioned U.S. economic growth. The hearing revealed that AI companies, while they want government support to accelerate the process of expanding AI infrastructure, also need to be open to the rest. It needs talent from abroad. It must sell its products and platforms in other countries.
The social media commentary was varied. Some pointed out that executives had previously held different opinions about regulation, including Altman.
Sam Altman tells Congress that a new agency is needed to require licenses of powerful AI models.
Sam Altman tells Congress that requiring licenses would be “disastrous”
– Tom Simonite.””https://twitter.com/tsimonite/status/1920602872539980231?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw””> May 8, 2025 (19659033)
AI executives used to beg for regulations. No longer. https://t.co/hcDfsJ2lCj
— Daniel Patrick Forrester (@DPForrester) May 9, 2025
Other countries noted that other nations might see where their AI policies have failed.
It’s very long and partly boring. This is a must-watch if you are a European or EU worker.
Senate Hearing on AI with Sam Altman. CEO of AMD, Chairman Microsoft, and founder of Coreweave.
One big recurring theme: “How do we make sure the failures…
— Jo Bhakdi (@JOBhakdi) May 8, 2025
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