WASHINGTON — A former top lawyer at the Department of Government Efficiency launched a new artificial intelligence policy council on Wednesday, coinciding with executive actions by President Trump to deregulating the industry, The Post can reveal.
James Burnham, who also held a senior position in the Department of Justice during Trump’s first term, is founding the AI Innovation Council to push an “America First” approach to AI and prevent China from winning the race for global tech dominance — both economically and militarily.
“Artificial intelligence is a revolutionary technology with the potential to make the United States wealthier and greater than it has ever been,” he said.
“That’s why President Trump made clear in his first week back in office that ‘the policy of the United States is to sustain and enhance America’s global AI dominance in order to promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.’
“I have been as outspoken as anyone about the problems of Big Tech and monopoly power, but it’s a major mistake to let legitimate concerns about past abuses block new innovators from propelling our nation into a new golden age.”
The new council will sketch out regulatory frameworks for AI and help boost US-based companies.
Trump, 79, is set to sign several AI-related executive orders Wednesday afternoon — including an expected action to curb “woke” models.
The “AI Action Plan’ will be touted by the president’s AI czar, Silicon Valley billionaire David Sacks, and will further promote the “export” of American tech abroad and build out data centers in the US.
Last week, Sacks joined Trump in announcing more than $100 billion in AI- and energy-related private sector investments at a forum in Pittsburgh.
The administration may also prevent states from taking too heavy a hand in regulating the industry, according to a summary seen by Reuters.
A proposed moratorium on state and local AI regulation was removed from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act by congressional Republicans before Trump signed it July 4.
“The goal isn’t just to win the innovation race,” Burnham said. “It’s to help launch America’s golden age.”
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