Search
AI-powered search, human-powered content.
scroll to top arrow or icon

Trump's early action on AI

“The interesting thing about Donald Trump,” said Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, “is that this is not his first time as president of the United States.”

As the 47th president begins his second term, conversations about artificial intelligence are again taking center stage. Speaking at Davos, Smith reflected on Trump’s earlier efforts to prioritize AI during his first administration, citing the groundbreaking 2019 executive order that laid the foundation for US leadership in the field.


The order focused on three key pillars: investing in AI research and development, skilling the workforce for the AI-driven future, and opening global markets for American innovation. Smith sees Trump’s return to office as an opportunity to reinvigorate these priorities with renewed energy.

With AI rapidly reshaping industries and societies, early signals from the new administration suggest a continued commitment to ensuring the United States remains at the forefront of this critical technological revolution. As Smith put it, “he has an opportunity to bring even more energy to that.”

This conversation, moderated by Becky Anderson, was part of the Global Stage series at the 2025 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, presented by GZERO in partnership with Microsoft.

Click to watch the full discussion for our panel's insights on AI's future and how it is expected to transform our economy and society by 2030.

More from Global Stage

Can we use AI to secure the world's digital future?

How do we ensure AI is safe, available to everyone, and enhancing productivity? It’s a big topic at this year’s UN General Assembly. That’s why GZERO’s Global Stage livestream brought together leading experts at the heart of the action for “Live from the United Nations: Securing our Digital Future,” an event produced in partnership between the Complex Risk Analytics Fund, or CRAF’d, and GZERO Media’s Global Stage series, sponsored by Microsoft.

Is the Europe-US rift leaving us all vulnerable?

As the tense and politically charged 2025 Munich Security Conference draws to a close, GZERO’s Global Stage series presents a conversation about strained relationships between the US and Europe, Ukraine's path ahead, and rising threats in cyberspace.

Protecting your money in today's unpredictable market

“When things are going fine, nobody really tests the skills and talents of their financial advisor, but this is a moment where really good advice can be extraordinarily powerful,” says Margaret Franklin, CFA Institute's CEO and President. In conversation with GZERO’s Tony Maciulis, Franklin describes the current financial climate as “maximum uncertainty,” rating it a 10 out of 10 on the risk scale.

Global economic outlook: Is a recession already here?

“We’re heading toward a substantial U.S. recession,” said Robert Kahn, Eurasia Group’s Managing Director, Global Macro.. “We may even be in one now.” That notion challenges the official economic outlook released this week by the International Monetary Fund, which was more cautious in its assessment.

Why neither the US nor China is the world’s strongest country

What is the strongest country in the world? Parag Khanna, bestselling author and CEO of the data analytics company AlphaGeo, argues that the answer isn’t as obvious as the United States or China.

The convergence of geopolitics and cyberspace

“Those same geopolitical tensions that we see in physical space certainly are playing out in digital space as well,” says Anne Neuberger, former US Deputy National Security Advisor for Cyber and Emerging Technologies.