In a subtle but significant shift, several major technology companies, including Anthropic, OpenAI, and Salesforce, have scaled back their commitments to artificial intelligence (AI) safety and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

These moves come in the wake of President Donald Trump’s new executive orders, which promote a markedly different approach to AI governance and workplace diversity compared to the previous Biden administration.

Anthropic Withdraws AI Safety Pledges

Anthropic, a leading AI company, has quietly removed several voluntary commitments from its website that were made in conjunction with the Biden administration in 2023. These commitments aimed to promote safe and “trustworthy” AI, including pledges to share information on managing AI risks and conducting research on AI bias and discrimination.

The deletions were flagged by AI watchdog group The Midas Project, which noted that while some Biden-era commitments, such as those addressing AI-generated image-based sexual abuse, remain, others tied to transparency and bias research were removed without notice.

Anthropic did not initially respond to requests for comment but later stated: “We remain committed to the voluntary AI commitments established under the Biden Administration. This progress and specific actions continue to be reflected in [our] transparency center within the content. To prevent further confusion, we will add a section directly citing where our progress aligns.”

The Biden administration’s AI safety commitments, announced in July 2023, involved industry heavyweights including OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, and Inflection. The companies had agreed to conduct internal and external security tests of AI systems, enhance cybersecurity measures, and develop methods for watermarking AI-generated content.

These voluntary commitments were not legally binding but were intended to set a standard for AI safety and ethical development. They also served as a precursor to Biden’s more formal AI Executive Order, which required federal agencies and AI developers to take significant steps to mitigate AI-related risks, particularly concerning bias and misinformation.

Trump’s Repeal of AI Safeguards

On Thursday, Trump repealed Biden’s AI Executive Order, marking a drastic shift in AI policy. The repealed order had instructed the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create guidance for identifying and correcting biases in AI models. However, Trump’s new directive focuses on promoting AI development “free from ideological bias,” emphasizing “human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.”

Trump’s order makes no mention of combating AI discrimination, a critical aspect of Biden’s initiative. Critics of Biden’s policies, many of whom are close allies of Trump, argued that the previous administration’s requirements were too burdensome and potentially forced companies to reveal trade secrets.

Marc Andreessen, David Sacks, and Elon Musk, some of Trump’s prominent Silicon Valley advisors, have accused companies like Google and OpenAI of AI censorship, alleging that their systems suppressed certain viewpoints. While OpenAI and others have denied any political influence on their policy changes, the recent rollbacks suggest a shift towards a more laissez-faire approach to AI development.

OpenAI and the End of ‘Ideological Bias’

OpenAI has also made changes to its public policies, removing references to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) from its website. The company announced it would support “intellectual freedom … no matter how challenging or controversial a topic may be,” signaling a departure from previous commitments to mitigate AI bias and promote equitable outcomes.

This shift aligns with the Trump administration’s push against DEI programs, which it argues promote divisive “woke” ideologies. This is despite the belief that removing DEI frameworks from AI development could exacerbate the risk of discriminatory outcomes, particularly for marginalized communities.

Both OpenAI and Anthropic are actively pursuing government contracts, making their policy adjustments particularly relevant as they align more closely with the Trump administration’s priorities.

Salesforce Joins the Retreat from DEI Initiatives

In addition to changes in AI governance, companies are also backing away from DEI initiatives. Salesforce, a San Francisco-based customer relationship management giant, has removed language that once described diversity and inclusion as a “core value” in its latest financial disclosure.

The company’s move follows a series of executive orders from Trump aimed at eliminating DEI initiatives across both government and private sectors. Salesforce’s latest filing also omits previous language that tied executive compensation to employee diversity metrics.

“While we are not specifying representation goals, we remain committed to our core value of equality,” a Salesforce spokesperson told Bloomberg.

Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, known for his vocal support of social issues, has yet to comment publicly on the rollback. The company’s decision mirrors similar actions by other tech giants, including Google, Meta, Amazon, Walmart, and Deloitte, which have all scaled back DEI programs since Trump took office.

A Turning Point for Tech Policy

The dismantling of Biden-era commitments to AI safety and DEI initiatives underlines a broader ideological shift in Silicon Valley. Under Biden, tech companies were encouraged to develop AI systems with robust safeguards against bias and to maintain inclusive hiring practices. Now, under Trump, the emphasis has shifted to promoting innovation and “ideological neutrality,” with less regulatory oversight.

The Midas Project pointed out that nothing in the Biden-era commitments suggested that the promises were time-bound or contingent on the sitting president’s party affiliation. This raises concerns about the stability of corporate commitments to ethical AI development and workplace equality.

AI ethics experts warn that these rollbacks could undermine trust in AI systems, particularly among communities that have historically been marginalized by biased technologies. The removal of DEI initiatives could also affect workplace diversity, potentially stalling progress on representation and inclusion.

However, many believe that Trump’s executive orders reflect a deregulatory stance aimed at reducing what his administration calls “onerous” requirements on tech companies.

The impact of these changes is expected to become clearer in the coming months, as companies adjust their policies and as the White House drafts its forthcoming AI action plan. This plan, expected within 180 days of Trump’s January executive order, will set the tone for the administration’s approach to AI innovation and public safety.

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In a move aimed at reshaping the United States’ approach to artificial intelligence (AI), President Donald Trump signed a new executive order on Thursday, revoking key AI policies established under former President Joe Biden.

The order, which promises to eliminate “barriers to American AI innovation,” has sparked a debate about balancing rapid technological development with ethical safeguards and public safety.

A New Vision for AI: Promoting Innovation Without ‘Ideological Bias’

The executive order lays out an ambitious plan to maintain global leadership in AI technology by developing systems that are “free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas.” The language of the order appears to address longstanding criticisms from Trump and his allies, including tech mogul Elon Musk, who have argued that previous AI policies reflected “woke” liberal biases.

Trump’s order emphasizes that AI initiatives should “promote human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security.” It mandates a comprehensive review of all policies, regulations, and directives tied to Biden’s 2023 executive order, with the potential to suspend any initiatives that do not align with this new direction.

Unwinding Biden’s AI Safeguards

Biden’s 2023 executive order introduced stringent requirements for AI systems, particularly those used by federal agencies. It mandated that agencies prove their AI tools were not harming the public or suspend their use, a move aimed at preventing discriminatory outcomes and misinformation. The Biden administration had also required tech companies building advanced AI models to share critical details with the government before releasing their systems to the public.

These measures were part of a broader effort, led by then-Vice President Kamala Harris, to curb potential harms from AI technologies. The Biden administration’s AI policies targeted risks associated with tools such as medical diagnosis chatbots, which could spread false information, and facial recognition systems that had been linked to wrongful arrests, particularly of Black men.

However, Trump’s new order casts these safeguards as obstacles to innovation. The administration argues that Biden’s AI policies imposed “unnecessarily burdensome requirements” on developers, potentially stifling the private sector’s ability to compete internationally.

The New AI Action Plan

The executive order directs the White House to draft an AI action plan within 180 days, underlining a pivot to a more business-friendly regulatory environment. This plan will be developed by a select group of White House technology and science officials, including newly appointed Special Advisor for AI and Crypto, David Sacks. Sacks, a venture capitalist and former PayPal executive, is expected to bring a market-oriented approach to the administration’s AI strategy.

The action plan is expected to focus on enhancing U.S. economic competitiveness through AI while reducing regulatory hurdles. However, the lack of specific guidelines on how to manage ethical concerns related to bias and safety has raised red flags among civil rights groups and AI ethics experts.

Concerns Over Bias and Public Safety

The Trump administration’s move to prioritize innovation over regulation has drawn criticism from those who believe that unchecked AI development could lead to real-world harm. Alondra Nelson, former acting director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy under Biden, described the new order as “backward-looking.” She warned that the policy shift might unravel existing initiatives that protect the public from harmful AI applications.

“Trump’s order signals a shift away from a balanced approach that both encourages innovation and safeguards public rights and safety,” Nelson said. “In 60 days, we’ll know which Americans’ rights and safety the Trump Administration believes deserve to be protected in the age of AI, and if there will be a level playing field for every technologist, developer, and innovator or just the tech billionaires.”

The Biden administration’s policies had set in motion a series of studies on AI’s impact across sectors, from cybersecurity to public benefits, with a focus on ensuring that AI tools did not contribute to social inequities. Critics say that by repealing these policies, Trump risks erasing much of this groundwork.

Business groups and tech advocates have largely welcomed Trump’s order, viewing it as a chance to boost American innovation in a competitive global market. Americans for Responsible Innovation, a nonprofit organization, praised Trump’s focus on “out-innovating the rest of the world.”

“Today’s executive order is a placeholder until the administration has a chance to develop a full strategy for executing that vision,” said Eric Gastfriend, the organization’s executive director. He noted that many federal agencies had already frozen AI policy work after Trump repealed Biden’s executive order earlier this week.

However, experts warn that prioritizing innovation without robust ethical guidelines could lead to unintended consequences. The lack of clear protections against biased algorithms and misinformation could particularly impact vulnerable populations, critics argue.

Impact on Federal Agencies and AI Developers

Under Biden’s policies, federal agencies had been instructed to scrutinize AI tools and ensure they did not perpetuate biases or misinformation. This included reviewing AI models used in healthcare, law enforcement, and public services. Trump’s order not only halts these reviews but also requires agencies to revise their acquisition and deployment strategies for AI tools.

For AI developers, the new order could reduce compliance costs and accelerate the deployment of new technologies. However, it also creates uncertainty about what standards, if any, they will need to meet regarding ethical considerations and public safety.

The focus on “human flourishing” and economic competitiveness aligns with Trump’s broader agenda of reducing regulations to stimulate business growth. His administration has argued that previous policies under Biden created a compliance-heavy environment that discouraged innovation and allowed foreign competitors to gain ground.

Trump’s approach also mirrors sentiments expressed by Musk, who believes there should be a form of “neutral” AI that avoids politically charged content moderation and ideological leanings.