Artificial Intelligence

Inside the White House meeting on its AI Genesis Mission

Radical AI’s CEO, who participated in the meeting, said there was a goal-oriented, partnership-driven focus for Genesis Mission and the ways it can change how AI and science work together.

People

Feds will have Dec. 24 and Dec. 26 off

Federal employees will now have a five-day weekend, beginning on Christmas Eve.

Cybersecurity

Trump admin to revisit bedrock cyber policies as it implements new strategy

Corresponding executive actions on cybercrime and ransomware are in the works. The forthcoming cyber strategy also includes an offensive pillar focused on “preemptive erosion” of foreign adversaries’ hacking attempts.

Artificial Intelligence

White House instructs agencies to stop using ‘biased’ AI

The Office of Management and Budget clarified the steps agencies will have to take to ensure their contracted large language models do not produce “woke” outputs.

Artificial Intelligence

Trump signs order targeting ‘cumbersome’ state AI regulation

The order instructs certain federal agencies to identify which state laws undermine federal efforts to help the U.S. lead globally in AI.

Policy

Trump’s national security strategy risks blinding US to other threats, former officials warn

The White House’s push to prioritize Venezuela, coupled with hardline policies on migration and drug trafficking, threatens to pull intelligence resources away from enduring security challenges in Europe, Asia and beyond, they argue.

Policy

Push to 'reform the government root and branch' detailed in Trump’s new management agenda

The President's Management Agenda for Trump's second term offers fewer specific policy plans than other recent agendas.

Artificial Intelligence

Trump plans to sign order preempting state AI laws

Congressional efforts to legally place a 10-year moratorium on state artificial intelligence regulation have thus-far failed to garner enough support.

Cybersecurity

Trump’s national security strategy wants spy agencies to watch world supply chains

The paper puts much of its emphasis on the Western Hemisphere, while pushing for closer cyber collaboration with both regional partners and the private sector.

People

Feds will probably have to work on Christmas Eve, but a holiday miracle would not be unprecedented

Because Christmas falls on a Thursday this year, President Donald Trump may give government workers Dec. 26 off rather than Christmas Eve.

Artificial Intelligence

White House launches Genesis Mission to spur AI with federal assets

The Genesis Mission initiates a new artificial intelligence experimentation platform, linking agencies with federal data to spearhead advanced AI use cases and evaluate “experimental outcomes.”

Artificial Intelligence

White House official, lawmaker call for amplifying US tech policy abroad

Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., and OSTP Director Michael Kratsios also advocated for a light-touch regulatory regime that has become a centerpiece of the Trump administration's tech approach.

Artificial Intelligence

White House considers order to preempt state AI laws

A draft of a new executive order would withhold federal funding from states with artificial intelligence regulations that are deemed overly punitive or in violation of the First Amendment.

Exclusive Policy

SSA abandons planned disability program overhaul expected to cut benefits for thousands

Trump administration officials informed the co-founder of a nonprofit disability advocacy group that a proposed rule — which would have updated decades-old occupational data, in addition to changing eligibility considerations — will no longer be moving forward.

Artificial Intelligence

US and Saudi Arabia commit to new AI agreement

The memorandum allows Saudi Arabia to have access to U.S. tech systems, according to a White House fact sheet.

Cybersecurity

National cyber strategy coming ‘as quickly as possible,’ official says

“It’s going to be a short statement of intent and policy, and then it will be paired very quickly with action items and deliverables under that,” National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross explained.

Cybersecurity

Upcoming White House cyber strategy to seek more involvement with private sector

The Trump 2.0 cyber strategy is in development, National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross said, though he did not elaborate on when it would be released.

Artificial Intelligence

Anthropic CEO defends support for AI regulations, alignment with Trump policies

Following the White House AI and crypto czar’s critique of Anthropic’s regulatory perspective, the company’s CEO noted that it is committed to speaking honestly about AI’s risks and benefits.

Cybersecurity

Multiple CISA divisions targeted in shutdown layoffs, people familiar say

CISA units including its Stakeholder Engagement division are believed to have been hit. A DHS spokesperson said that the RIFs are meant to help get CISA “back on mission.”

Exclusive People

On Tuesday, the Trump admin said furloughed feds were not guaranteed back pay. On Wednesday, it sent notices saying they were

Just one day after taking a different argument, the Trump administration notes federal law guarantees back pay for employees sent home during a shutdown.