President Trump penned a national security memorandum last week that instructs officials to address artificial intelligence in the defense sector.
“Artificial intelligence (AI) will be among the most transformative technologies to national security in the history of the United States. When adopted appropriately, AI can help protect our warfighters during peacetime and on the battlefield, enable precise operations that minimize harm to civilians, and ensure the United States continues to maintain technical overmatch against our adversaries and strategic competitors,” the memo states.
The memorandum goes on to state that the Trump administration will adopt and accelerate AI use to “enhance operational effectiveness” and eliminate “unnecessary barriers” to its deployment. Furthermore, national security entities will “adapt commercial or open-source AI technologies, leveraging the most cutting-edge capabilities available from diverse suppliers across the private sector, large and small, while ensuring that AI technologies chosen are optimized for their intended use.”
National security agencies will also provide the assurance that AI technologies will be “reliable, robust, steerable, and controllable, and that they operate, in accordance with applicable laws, government policies, and guidance.” Discussing the importance of accountability, the memo states, “American AI technologies shall neither be developed nor used by the national security enterprise to censor free speech, embed ideological bias, or conduct unauthorized or unlawful surveillance activities.”
The memo directs Secretary of War Pete Hegseth to update a policy on Autonomy in Weapon System so that it accounts for the “rapidly evolving capabilities of AI systems” and ensures the “deliberate adoption of AI systems that respect the chain of command and operational authorities.” It also directs Hegseth to evaluate contracts pertaining to such technology systems.
In March, the White House released a framework for national AI standards, pushing the country toward innovation. According to the framework, the national standard “should respect key principles of federalism.” It will not preempt the “traditional police powers retained by the states to enforce laws of general applicability against AI developers and users, including particular laws to protect children, prevent fraud, and protect consumers.”
The framework adds that individual states “should not be permitted to regulate AI development, because it is an inherently interstate phenomenon with key foreign policy and national security implications.”
