Donald Trump’s AI Regulation May Boost Open Source Much to Big Tech’s Dismay

• Donald Trump’s administration could boost open-source artificial intelligence.
• The President-elect has vowed to repeal “dangerous” AI regulation put in place by the Biden administration.
• An increase in open-source AI adoption could negatively impact Big Tech.

Donald Trump could catalyze a historic rise in the adoption of open-source artificial intelligence.

The President-elect has long been an avid critic of regulating AI. During his campaign, Trump claimed he would repeal Joe Biden’s “dangerous” and “radical leftwing” AI safety order.

Trump’s controversial light-touch approach, combined with his close confidants’ love for open-source technology, could set the stage for an open future for AI.

However, with so many companies, governments, and individuals on different sides of the debate, the ramifications could be substantial.

Donald Trump’s AI Stance

Donald Trump has historically favored a light-touch approach to AI regulation, emphasizing the importance of innovation over restrictive policies.

The Biden administration has focused on ensuring that AI technologies are developed and deployed responsibly, with attention to privacy, transparency, and fairness.

In October 2024, Biden issued an Executive Order  outlining the federal government’s first regulations on AI systems.

“We will repeal Joe Biden’s dangerous Executive Order that hinders AI Innovation and imposes Radical Leftwing ideas on the development of this technology,” Trump’s manifesto  read. “In its place, Republicans support AI Development rooted in Free Speech and Human Flourishing.”

What About Open-Source AI?

Trump’s light-touch approach to emerging technology could potentially open the door to a wave of new ideas, including open-source AI.

Open-source AI refers to AI tools and models that are publicly available for anyone to view and modify.

By providing open access, any developer can change and innovate in ways that wouldn’t be possible in a closed environment.

The view on open-source AI in Trump’s close circle seems primarily positive.

JD Vance, the newly appointed Vice President, previously accused Big Tech of supporting regulation for their own gain.

“Very often CEOs, especially of larger technology companies that I think already have advantageous positions in AI, will come and talk about the terrible safety dangers of this new technology and how Congress needs to jump up and regulate as quickly as possible,” Vance said  at a Senate hearing in July.

“And I can’t help but worry that if we do something under duress from the current incumbents, it’s going to be to the advantage of those incumbents and not to the advantage of the American consumer,” he added.

The Vice President-elect voiced concerns that overregulating AI could make it harder for new entrants “to create the innovation that’s going to sort of power the next generation of American growth and American job creation.”

The Impact on Big Tech

If open-source AI were to flourish under Trump’s Presidency, it would significantly shift the dynamics within the tech industry, particularly among the large corporations currently leading in AI development.

Open source could erode Big Tech’s monopolistic advantages by democratizing access to powerful models, reducing the dependence of smaller companies and developers on AI services.

For companies with business models centered on selling AI services, such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon, open-source AI could threaten revenue streams.

However, if Trump decides to clamp down on open-source AI and argue for tighter controls due to national security concerns, it could shift the balance the other way.

“Big tech firms, with the resources to navigate regulations and develop closed systems, would probably thrive,” Peter Wood, Chief Technical Officer at Spectrum Search, told CCN.

“Smaller players, though, might struggle to compete, potentially stifling creativity and leaving us with a more monopolized AI industry.”

Elon Musk’s Influence

Amanda Brock, CEO at OpenUK, told CCN that “Elon Musk will clearly have influence” over Trump.

“Has Musk also raised his ‘love of open source’ with Trump? Not just in the context of AI, but more broadly? Musk has at least paid lip service to open sourcing technology and he’s not alone,” Brock said.

“Mark Zuckerberg and others run Big Techs built on thriving open source and recruit directly from open source contributors globally,” she added.

Meta CEO Zuckerberg previously claimed open source is “necessary for a positive AI future,” stating  it was important that large companies, including his own, did not control the technology.

This thought aligns with Tesla billionaire Musk, who has also expressed strong support for opening the technology.

In March, Musk announced he was releasing the full code for Grok, the “truth-seeking” rival to ChatGPT from his AI company, xAI.

The Tesla CEO, one of the co-founders of OpenAI, publicly left the company in 2018 after initially envisioning a completely open model.

As Musk moves closer to the White House, his influence could impact the trajectory of open-source AI during Trump’s Presidency.