President Donald J. Trump signed an executive order on June 2, 2026, framing advanced Artificial Intelligence as both a strategic advantage and a national security challenge. The order says the United States should promote innovation and security by working with the private sector to modernize government and private-sector information systems, protect American intellectual property from adversaries, and strengthen advanced Artificial Intelligence-enabled capabilities. It also presents the administration’s approach as one that supports rapid deployment of secure technology without imposing overly burdensome regulation on developers and researchers.
The order directs multiple agencies to move quickly on cyber defense. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Committee on National Security Systems shall prioritize the cyber defense of National Security Systems. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of War shall prioritize the cyber defense of Department of War information systems. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of Homeland Security, through CISA and in consultation with other officials, shall issue Binding Operational Directives and other guidance to expedite cyber defense for civilian federal systems, expand federal programs and cybersecurity services that enhance Artificial Intelligence-enabled defensive tools, and improve access to cybersecurity tools and services for agencies, State and local authorities, and critical infrastructure operators such as rural hospitals, community banks, and local utilities.
Additional directives focus on coordination and workforce capacity. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with national security and cybersecurity officials, shall form an Artificial Intelligence cybersecurity clearinghouse in voluntary collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence industry and critical infrastructure operators to coordinate vulnerability scanning, validation, remediation, and patch distribution. Within 30 days of the date of this order, the Director of OMB shall determine whether any Federal grant programs have available and relevant funding that can be directed toward applicants developing advanced Artificial Intelligence vulnerability detection. Within 60 days of the date of this order, the Director of the Office of Personnel Management shall expand the United States Tech Force Information Cybersecurity Specialist hiring and placement pathways.
The order also establishes a process for handling frontier models. Within 60 days of the date of this order, Treasury, NSA, and CISA, in consultation with White House and Commerce officials, shall develop and maintain a classified benchmarking process to assess the advanced cyber capabilities of Artificial Intelligence models and determine when a model should be designated a “covered frontier model.” The same section calls for a voluntary framework under which developers could ask the government whether a model meets that designation, provide access to covered frontier models for a period of up to 30 days before release to other trusted partners, and work with officials to choose trusted partners for early access. The order states that nothing in this section authorizes a mandatory governmental licensing, preclearance, or permitting requirement for the development, publication, release, or distribution of new Artificial Intelligence models.
On enforcement, the order directs the Attorney General to prioritize use of federal criminal laws against anyone who uses Artificial Intelligence to illegally access or damage computers, or who uses Artificial Intelligence during unlawful access to further other crimes. It specifically includes breaches of public or private information technology systems and the use of Artificial Intelligence agents to unlawfully obtain data later used for criminal or unlawful purposes. The order says implementation must remain consistent with applicable law and subject to the availability of appropriations.
