Artificial Intelligence

Trump Just Released a Framework To Govern AI. Here Are 7 Key Takeaways.

The National AI Policy Framework is a return to the administration's pro-AI position.

Jack Nicastro | 3.20.2026 4:27 PM

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Only weeks after designating Anthropic a supply chain risk, the Trump administration is returning to a pro-AI stance with Friday's release of the National AI Legislative Framework. 

The framework, which was commissioned via executive order in December, includes seven pillars to advance American AI development. Here are some of the top takeaways:  

1. Clarifying Prohibited AI-Generated Content To Avoid Excessive Litigation

The first pillar directs Congress to build upon the bipartisan TAKE IT DOWN Act, which outlaws the nonconsensual online publication of intimate photos and videos, including those created with AI. While well-intentioned, Reason's Elizabeth Nolan Brown has warned that it can be "easily wielded as a jawboning tool to get tech platforms to do an administration's bidding." At the same time, the administration cautions Congress against "ambiguous standards about permissible content" and "open-ended liability" to avoid excessive litigation. 

2. Enabling AI Data Centers To Provide Their Own Power 

The second pillar is a bit of a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it directs Congress to "ensure that residential ratepayers do not experience increased electricity costs" as a consequence of AI. On the other, it recommends streamlining federal permitting to allow AI developers to more easily deploy on-site power generation to avoid straining the grid. To this end, Sen. Tom Cotton (R–Ark.) introduced the DATA Act in January to exempt these electrical utilities from federal regulation.

3. Deferring to the Judiciary on........

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