Maintaining American Leadership in Artificial Intelligence (EO 13859)

• Authority: Executive Office of the President
• Parent authority: Federal government
• Jurisdiction: United States
• Collections: U.S. regulations, executive orders, and agency policies
• Most recent activity: Enacted
• Most recent activity date: 2019-02-11

Risk subdomain coverage

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the risk subdomain are described.

• Compromise of privacy
• AI system security vulnerabilities
• Competitive dynamics
• Governance failure
• Lack of capability or robustness
• Lack of transparency or interpretability

All other risk subdomains had no coverage in this document.

Risk Coverage Summary

The document has minimal coverage of AI risk domains, with brief mentions of privacy/security (2.1, 2.2), governance (6.5), and system safety (7.4). The focus is primarily on promoting AI innovation and competitiveness rather than addressing specific AI risks and harms. Most risk subdomains receive no coverage.

Sector coverage

Good coverage — Comprehensive governance measures or mitigations with clear procedures relating to the sector are explicitly described.

• Public Administration (excl. National Security)
• National Security

Minimal coverage — Brief mention but no specific mitigations, recommendations or governance measures relating to the sector are described.

• Scientific Research & Development Services
• Educational Services

All other sectors had no coverage in this document.

Sectors Summary

This Executive Order does not govern AI use in specific economic sectors. Instead, it establishes internal federal government policy directing federal agencies to prioritize AI R&D, improve data access, develop standards, and train the workforce. The document governs Public Administration (federal agencies) and indirectly affects Scientific Research and Development Services through R&D funding priorities.

Legislative Status

Hard Law

Legislative Status Summary

This is a Presidential Executive Order issued by the Executive Office of the President, which constitutes binding hard law for federal agencies. The document uses mandatory language throughout ('shall') and establishes enforceable obligations on federal agencies, though it explicitly states it does not create enforceable rights for private parties.

Actors

Proposer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: This is a Presidential Executive Order issued by the Executive Office of the President, establishing the American AI Initiative as official U.S. government policy.

Target

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor, AI_Developer, AI_Infrastructure_Provider
• Summary: The order primarily targets federal agencies with specific obligations, while also encouraging collaboration with industry, academia, and other non-federal entities. The order applies to agencies that conduct AI R&D, provide educational grants, and have regulatory authorities.

Enforcer

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The order establishes coordination and oversight through the NSTC Select Committee, with OMB and OSTP having key roles in reviewing agency plans, issuing guidance, and ensuring compliance with the Initiative's objectives.

Monitor

• Entity Types: AI_Governance_Actor
• Summary: The order establishes monitoring through regular reporting requirements to OMB and OSTP, with agencies required to communicate plans and budget allocations through the NITRD Program. The Select Committee provides ongoing coordination and oversight.

AI Lifecycle Stages

Lifecycle stages covered by the documents, as defined in the OECD Framework for the Classification of AI Systems

• Plan and Design
• Collect and Process Data
• Build and Use Model
• Verify and Validate
• Deploy
• Operate and Monitor

AI Lifecycle Summary

The document covers multiple AI lifecycle stages with emphasis on Plan and Design (R&D prioritization, standards development), Build and Use Model (R&D investment, computing resources), and Deploy (regulatory guidance, standards). It also addresses Operate and Monitor through data access and workforce training provisions.

Technical Scope

Terms relating to technical scope that are mentioned or implicitly referenced in the document

• AI Models
• AI Systems
• Open Weight / Open Source

Technical Scope Summary

The document uses the broad term 'artificial intelligence' (AI) and 'AI technologies' throughout without distinguishing between specific types like frontier AI, general purpose AI, or foundation models. It does not mention compute thresholds, open-weight models, or make distinctions between generative and predictive AI. The focus is on AI broadly defined as R&D, systems, and applications.