Nonprofit organizations and academic groups are rallying to sustain US climate monitoring and greenhouse-gas measurement initiatives as federal support wanes under the Trump administration. The Data Foundation, a Washington, DC-based nonprofit, is spearheading efforts to improve the accuracy and availability of emissions data, building on momentum generated during the Biden administration. This coalition, comprising nonprofits, technical experts, and private companies, aims to counteract the nullification of emissions data projects and prevent the loss of vital information needed for understanding the country´s climate impact. The shift comes amid broad federal cutbacks in environmental funding, regulation, and research support.
Simultaneously, significant changes are hitting regulatory oversight of Artificial Intelligence. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which gained renewed prominence during the Biden administration for probing deceptive practices by Artificial Intelligence firms and addressing customer harms, faces erosion under the Trump administration´s newly unveiled Artificial Intelligence Action Plan. The plan signals intent to review and likely curtail many FTC actions initiated in the previous term, raising concerns that consumer protections, accuracy checks, and fair practices around Artificial Intelligence technologies may diminish. Critics argue this will hasten adoption of Artificial Intelligence without sufficient safeguards, thereby exposing consumers and society to greater risks from unchecked technologies.
On the policy front, President Trump issued three executive orders and presented an extensive action plan focused on cementing US leadership in Artificial Intelligence. Despite its high-profile rollout, some analysts warn this initiative distracts from the simultaneous dismantling of foundational policies and institutions. The administration´s approach may favor tech industry stakeholders but threatens to erode the legal and ethical frameworks that underpinned American innovation in Artificial Intelligence. Taken together, these rollbacks in both climate and Artificial Intelligence oversight depict a stark landscape for those advocating for responsible technology governance and environmental stewardship in the US.
Elsewhere in the newsletter, recent headlines highlight a controversial gene therapy setback, the impact of tariffs on US industry, and the complexities of autonomous system consciousness—all revealing the multifaceted challenges at the intersection of technology, policy, and society.
