New York, Fatshimetrie –
In the current political landscape, the arrival of the Trump administration could mean major upheavals in the relationship between the government and tech companies, with potential consequences for users, from the content they can view online to the possibility of being confronted with discriminatory AI systems.
President-elect Donald Trump and many of his allies have had a contentious relationship with the tech giants, repeatedly accusing them of having too much power and sometimes using it in ways that are detrimental to him. During his first term, discussions began about banning TikTok and a lawsuit that could result in the breakup of Google was filed. He has sought to undermine the legal protections of tech platforms. A few months ago, he even threatened to throw Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in jail.
However, since his last term, Trump appears to have made a complete U-turn on many tech issues. He has suggested that he no longer wants to ban TikTok or break up Google, though it is unclear whether he will be able to stop either. He now has his own social media platform, Truth Social, which would most likely be subject to the new rules he will try to impose on his competitors. Additionally, he has the guidance of Elon Musk, who has suggested that he will encourage deregulation and unfettered technological innovation.
As Big Tech executives—many of whom sought to rally behind Trump by congratulating him as soon as the election results were announced—now look ahead to Inauguration Day, here are five of the biggest questions about the president-elect’s potential impact on the tech industry:
Will TikTok be banned?
Trump once tried to ban TikTok in the United States via executive order on national security grounds, but he has since reversed course. In June, in a video posted on the platform itself, Trump said he would never ban TikTok.
Of course, it’s not clear he’ll be able to follow through on that promise. With momentum building under his watch, Congress passed a law this year that would ban TikTok in the United States unless it is spun off from its Chinese parent company, which has indicated it won’t do so. TikTok has filed a lawsuit to block the law, and the case is awaiting a decision from a panel of federal judges. However, the ban is set to go into effect a day before the inauguration, meaning Trump may have missed his opportunity to intervene.
Trump could ask Congress to repeal the law, though experts say that attempt would likely fail. Then he likely has two options: He could ask the attorney general not to enforce the law or announce that TikTok is no longer subject to the law, according to Alan Rozenshtein, an associate professor of law at the University of Minnesota.
Now let’s dig deeper into the president-elect’s impact on the AI industry.
It’s clear that Trump is entering the White House at a time when many, including in the AI industry, are calling for regulation to limit the worst potential outcomes of AI. In an interview with Fox News last summer, Trump conceded that AI has “tremendous potential but also the ability to destroy… we have to be very careful with AI.” Musk, who now advises Trump, has also called for a pause in developing the technology before launching his own AI company.
However, Trump appears ready to roll back the few guidelines that exist for AI companies. The Republican Party’s platform promised to repeal an executive order signed by President Joe Biden that laid out sweeping measures to address some of AI’s worst risks, including discrimination and threats to national security. The Republican document claims the executive order contained “far-left ideas” that stifled innovation.
“It’s likely that whatever replaces (Biden’s order), if any, will likely be less regulated,” said John Villasenor, co-director of the UCLA Institute for Technology, Law and Policy.
However, he added that this is speculation and that the narrative could change once Trump is in office. Moreover, the critical question will remain whether there will be an explicit and appropriate regulatory framework in place to guide AI development and protect citizens.
The future of TikTok and Trump’s approach to AI are just some of the areas of concern and speculation among key players in the tech industry as this transition of power approaches. The coming months will be crucial in determining which direction the industry will move under President Donald Trump, and what the concrete impacts will be on users, businesses and society as a whole.