Trump canceled AI safety testing EO after snub from tech CEOs

President Donald Trump canceled an executive order on AI safety testing just hours before its planned signing on Thursday. The order would have allowed the government to test frontier AI models before their public release, but Trump pulled the event after learning that several top executives, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg, could not attend. Musk later denied involvement, stating on X that he does not know what was in the executive order. The cancellation followed lobbying efforts from tech companies, which feared that mandatory safety testing could delay model launches or disrupt development. OpenAI reportedly supported the signing, while Musk and Zuckerberg allegedly pressured Trump to call it off. Trump’s former AI advisor, David Sacks, also joined the push to delay the order, despite his advisory role expiring in March. The plan originated within Trump’s administration after Anthropic raised cybersecurity concerns about its latest model, Mythos. Officials sought to expand voluntary government testing for frontier AI models, but industry resistance led to the event’s cancellation. Trump has maintained a largely hands-off approach to AI regulation since retaking office, though administration members had pushed for stricter oversight in response to emerging risks. The abrupt cancellation left executives midair en route to the Oval Office, including those who had rearranged schedules to attend. The White House cited insufficient participation as the reason for the decision, though industry sources suggested broader opposition to government intervention in AI development.