August 11, 2025

While tariffs and Trump’s loud moves grabbed headlines, a huge AI announcement from the US quietly flew under the radar. Back in January, Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14179—Removing Barriers to American Leadership in AI—overriding Joe Biden’s careful AI policies. Then on July 23, Trump served the big meal: the AI Action Plan, listing over 90 bold steps. This plan shifts the US from a cautious watch to a speed-demon AI race, favoring raw computing power, private business leadership, and global dominance instead of ethics and safety. The US is now pushing full throttle in AI, scrapping Biden’s brakes and focusing on innovation first. The plan stands on three strong pillars: speeding up AI innovation mostly by cutting regulations; building huge national AI infrastructure by easing rules for data centers and research; and shining a spotlight on US tech power worldwide with export boosts and tough controls on rivals. Trump also signed three executive orders that day—one fighting ‘woke AI,’ making AI a cultural battleground; one cutting red tape for data centers; and one boosting US AI exports, aiming for global tech rules. This new approach clearly favors the “AI Boomers”—those excited for fast, no-holds-barred AI growth—over the cautious “Doomers” worried about risks. But many wonder, "Where are the brakes?" As AI promises big wins in health, education, and climate, it also stirs fears. Historian Yuval Noah Harari talks about the “trust paradox”: AI superpowers don’t trust each other but trust AI superintelligence itself. The US plan shifts AI focus from social and human concerns to market domination, shareholder gains, and national power plays. Its ‘ideological neutrality’ rule openly invites political bias, and US states fear making their own rules because they could lose funding. The motto? Move fast and break things is back! This AI shake-up will not just rock Silicon Valley—it will ripple worldwide. India stands out in this drama. As a rising AI power and leader of the Global South, and host of the big AI Impact Summit in February 2026, India must decide how to play this fast-paced game. The US plan could speed up Big Tech’s dominance, startups, and AI infrastructure boom. But without proper rules, misinformation, algorithm harm, and surveillance could grow unchecked, risking public backlash. This drama also pressures Europe, where startups may flock to the US while regulators might be pushed to ease controls. Europe could turn this into a chance to champion ‘trustworthy AI.’ China is also a player, offering an inclusive, open-source AI model and trying to form a World AI Cooperation Organization. While China’s control and surveillance may scare some, it’s catching up fast. For the wider Global South, this split between US and China poses a tough choice. Here, India has a golden opportunity. It can chart a ‘third way’ called ‘JanAI,’ blending ambition with caution, ethics with innovation, and inclusive infrastructure with shared governance. India already has huge strengths: the world’s largest democracy, a strong tech ecosystem, and a winning model in its Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), balancing innovation and fairness. Many countries admire India’s DPI and may follow its lead in AI too. Hosting the 2026 AI summit adds to India’s clout. But to truly lead, India must clarify its AI policies, build strong regulations, and treat AI as a national mission—just like it did with the Green Revolution and digital reforms. Focusing on AI for good, AI for all, ethical innovation, wide AI education, and shared governance will help India carve the much-needed ‘middle path’ and command global respect. People often say the US innovates, Europe regulates, China replicates, and India wastes time. But the game has changed. Trump’s bold AI move might boost the US but at big social cost. As AI shapes everything from elections to jobs, the world needs fair rules. India, with its huge population, tech strength, and 2026 spotlight, has a rare chance to create AI rules not in Washington, Shanghai, or Brussels—but in New Delhi.

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Tags: Ai action plan, Us ai policy, Donald trump, Ai regulation, India ai strategy, Global ai leadership,