From Biden to Trump: Divergent and Convergent Policies in The Artificial Intelligence (AI) Summer

Abstract

Da Biden a Trump: approcci divergenti e convergenti durante nella c.d. “AI Summer” - This paper explores the regulatory evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) policy in the United States, focusing on the contrasting yet occasionally convergent approaches of the Biden and Trump administrations during the so-called “AI Summer.” It begins by reconstructing the two central phases of the Biden administration’s strategy: the AI Bill of Rights Phase, centred on the Blueprint for an AI Bill of Rights, and the subsequent To-Do List Phase, characterized by a series of executive orders and agency guidelines aimed at operationalizing ethical principles in real-world AI deployment. These efforts address core rights-related concerns such as privacy, algorithmic discrimination, transparency, and the human oversight of automated systems. The paper highlights the Biden administration’s cross-sectoral focus, which includes national security, labour rights, healthcare, criminal justice, and environmental sustainability—most notably through Executive Order 14141, which tightly links AI infrastructure development to clean energy investments and grid modernization.
The second part of the paper examines the early actions of the Trump administration in 2025, particularly the revocation of Executive Order 14110 and the issuance of new deregulatory measures under the banner of restoring American AI leadership. While this marks a shift toward a more market-driven and innovation-centric approach, the paper notes that several Biden-era instruments—such as the National Security Memorandum and EO 14141—remain in force and continue to shape federal agency activities. Through this comparative lens, the article assesses the extent to which foundational human rights protections, risk-based governance models, and sectoral guidelines can withstand political transitions and contribute to a durable framework for responsible AI governance in the United States.

Keywords: Biden; Trump; Artificial Intelligence; AI; Rights and liberties