Why Trump's AI executive order was pulled

Everything seemed set for a photo op of tech and AI CEOs who would surround President Trump Thursday as he signed a much-anticipated executive order on AI and cybersecurity. Then it fell apart hours before the signing as a top Trump adviser and some tech executives gave it a big thumbs down — to a president who didn't really want to regulate AI in the first place. Why it matters: Any further delay of the order means more time for infighting and for the text to get bogged down in disagreements among different parts of the government and industry. Behind the scenes: Ahead of the signing, Trump, AI adviser David Sacks , and some in industry discussed the executive order, sources familiar told Axios. The main reason why the executive order signing was delayed was because "he just hates regulation," one source familiar said of Trump, adding that Sacks also "hated it." "The whole thing was unnecessary" and "just something doomers wanted," the source added. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, xAI CEO Elon Musk and Sacks all spoke with Trump between Wednesday night and Thursday morning. The companies did not immediately respond to requests for comment. What they're saying: "I didn't like certain aspects of it. I postponed it," Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday. "I think it gets in the way of — you know, we're leading China, we're leading everybody, and I didn't want to do anything to get in the way of that lead." Those who have been pushing for AI regulation in Washington were relieved that the White House was finally going to make moves on AI and cybersecurity safety. Now it's not clear when — or whether — that is going to happen. Axios first reported details of what was going to be in the executive order this week. The big picture: Trump has been walking a tightrope of allowing American AI companies to flourish without strict rules while weighing growing public anti-AI sentiment, including within his own party . For ...

Original source: Axios