Mark Kelly

Billionaire Influence Drove Trump’s AI Retreat

Kelly said even that modest step was abandoned after pushback from major tech executives.

“America cannot lead in AI if our policy is determined by whichever billionaire gets the President on the phone last,” Kelly said.

Trump, however, framed the decision differently. “We’re leading China, we’re leading everybody, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to get in the way of that lead,” Trump said.

Congress Eyes Its Own AI Framework

Kelly, a former NASA astronaut and Navy veteran, is pushing a legislative alternative through his “AI for America” plan, arguing that Congress must step in with “real, forward-looking policy on AI.”

In his post, Kelly also warned that AI will shape the future of cybersecurity, the energy grid and U.S. competition with China, areas where he said getting policy right "matters for families in Arizona and across the country."

The withdrawal leaves the U.S. without a federal framework for evaluating advanced AI systems ahead of public deployment.

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